Scuderia Ferrari has sacrificed much of the 2021 Formula 1 season in order to work on the 2022 project. The choice of the Italian team seemed to be to right one, as the F1-75 proved to be a car capable of challenging for the race wins, at times being even the fastest car on the grid. Yet Red Bull Racing is far ahead in both championships due to a series of reliability issues and strategy mistakes and therefore Mattia Binotto’s job as Ferrari Team Principal is in doubt. As team leader, Mattia Binotto is responsible for Ferrari’s performance and given the situation, the Ferrari top management may already be considering a successor for 2023.
The 52-year-old Italian-Swiss engineer has tried several times to protect his team after making embarrassing mistakes, in post-race interviews. But several analysts believe Mattia Binotto is too kind and should intervene more firmly. Only then will Ferrari really be able to take the last step necessary to fight for the world titles. “Ferrari is plagued with reliability problems, strategic mistakes and faltering pit stops in 2022. As a result, a lot of points have been unnecessarily lost,” Ralf Schumacher said for the Sky website.
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher said that changes are needed and that Mattia Binotto could be the first to leave: “I already see him in danger during the summer break. There are too many little things that went wrong and too many technical problems. When you receive such a gift, to be able to fight again for the world championship with Ferrari, and you put it in jeopardy like that is equivalent to throwing it away, it’s very ironic after the past years”.
The German spoke of a ‘difficult weekend’ for the Maranello team. “It was a bad decision to use the tires you needed in a race that would have taken place on Friday. It was embittered for Ferrari. I don’t understand Charles Leclerc’s last stop. They gave away other points. I don’t think Red Bull expected this help ”.
ANTONELLO COLETTA, A POSSIBLE SOLUTION
One of the first people who comes to mind when thinking of a possible replacement for the current Ferrari Team Principal is Antonello Coletta. The current Head of Ferrari GT Sporting Activities could be one of the most eligible candidates for a simple reason: he comes from inside Ferrari, he knows the environment and the people very men well and above all he is the main architect of the successes of Ferrari in GT Sporting Activities.
In this sense, Antonello Coletta’s name is not new. We had already talked about him, and about the possibility of taking over from Mattia Binotto in Formula 1 Ferrari just two years ago, when the unsatisfactory results of the Italian team immediately put the position of the current Ferrari Team Principal in doubt.
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JEAN TODT, THE MOST SUGGESTIVE
A possible return to Maranello by Jean Todt is one of the most evocative scenarios in the fans’ imagination and at the same time one of the most complex to realize. The former FIA number one, after ending his term as President, would have all the credentials to return to lead the Ferrari pit wall. If he still wants to.
Jean Todt was, together with an attentive and accurate staff of personalities, one of the architects of Mich Schumacher’s successes. Not too many months ago this indiscretion began to circulate in Formula 1 paddock and especially in Maranello. According to some rumors from insiders, it would seem that Mattia Binotto and John Elkann did not want to collaborate closely with Jean Todt. And we are ready to bet that the French manager would have been willing to return to lead the Marabello team and take back the role of captain of the pit wall, not for fleeting appearances as a supporting actor.
GUENTHER STAINER: COULD HIS POSITION IN HAAS GIVE HIM AN ADVANTAGE?
The last eligible candidate to replace Mattia Binotto could be Guenther Steiner. The current Haas Team Principal, ever since he made his debut with the American team in this role, has shown great determination, analytical skills and has proven to have great leadership skills. These are all qualities that Mattia Binotto seems to lack.
Perhaps among the three, Guenther Steiner could be the real outsider in this respect. A little help could come from the team in which he currently works, Haas, linked in many ways to Ferrari. So much so that it is not so utopian to think of a change of “jersey” for the South Tyrolean manager.
Mattia Binotto is actually an excellent engineer, the problem is that he seems unable to cope with the responsibilities of Team Principal. Basically, today it is difficult to predict who could become the new boss and when, but what is certain is that Ferrari needs to significantly improve in the second part of the 2022 Formula 1 season in terms of strategies and team management, in order for Mattia Binotto to be confirmed for the next championship.
