15/11/2022
NEWS STORY
Ferrari has issued a brief denial that Mattia Binotto is to be fired as its team boss.
Earlier today, Italy's Corriere della Sera and Gazzetta dello Sport both reported that Binotto is to be fired and replaced by (Alfa Romeo) boss, Frederic Vasseur.
"In relation to speculation in certain media regarding Scuderia Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto's position, Ferrari states that these rumours are totally without foundation," said the Italian team in a brief statement posted on social media.
Fact is, almost from the moment Binotto was appointed in early 2019, the Italian media has been on his back, and at times not without good reason.
The team has made a number of crucial strategic errors and having looked potential favourites for this year's championship, having lost out on both titles now appear to be under threat of even missing out on the runner-up slots.
However, while there have been many mistakes under Binotto's rule, this is nothing new, for a far back as anyone can remember the Maranello outfit has squandered opportunities as the likes of Alain Prost, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso will readily attest.
Indeed, it was only with the recruitment of the (outside) dream team of Jean Todt, Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne and Michael Schumacher that Ferrari finally got its act together.
Reports of Binotto's firing come days after the death of technical genius Mauro Forghieri, and the fact is that the likable Binotto should have been left where he was, running the technical side of the operation.
As it is, someone like Vasseur would be a good move for Ferrari, especially as Audi is likely to have its own people in mind for when it partners with Sauber in a couple of seasons, as a dedicated F1 sponsorship department was already in operation before the German manufacturer officially confirmed its entry.