Mattia Binotto: Charlie Whiting “was a wonderful person” and “pillar of Formula 1”. Binotto says Charlie Whiting was .

Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto said that Charlie Whiting was “a wonderful person” after hearing about his passing. Charlie Whiting, the FIA Formula One Race Director, Safety Delegate, Permanent Starter and head of the F1 Technical Department, in which capacities he generally managed the logistics of each F1 Grand Prix, inspected cars in parc fermé before a race, enforced FIA rules, and controlled the lights that start each race, passed away on Thursday morning in Australia aged 66 after suffering from a pulmonary embolism.

In a statement posted by Ferrari’s official website, Team Principal Mattia Binotto said: “Charlie was a true professional and extremely knowledgeable, but more than that, he was a wonderful person, who always treated everyone with respect. A tireless and enlightened motorsport expert, he helped make F1 safer and better. He was a pillar of Formula 1. Our sport is diminished by his passing and we have lost a friend. He will be greatly missed.” – he said.

On Thursday morning, tributes flooded in on Twitter from the world of Formula 1 to remember Charlie Whiting.

Regarding the start of the 2019 Formula One season, Mattia Binotto, who was promoted to the Team Principal role in place of Maurizio Arrivabene at the end of 2018, is excited by the team’s prospects, and believes they have a strong line-up in Vettel and Leclerc.

“The race that marks the start of the season is always significant, and this year even more so because Scuderia Ferrari is celebrating its 90th birthday in 2019,” said Binotto – “We are very happy to have a couple of extraordinary drivers like Sebastian and Charles. After the winter tests, the whole team wants to get out on track to compete with opponents who we know are very, very strong,” said Binotto. “We are heading into the first of a long series of stages, and our task is to try to cause problems to rivals who proved stronger last year.It will be a demanding season. It is important to start well, aware that we have 21 rounds of equal importance ahead of us. The championship ends in December so every point can be valuable.” – he concluded.