F1 News: Former Ferrari Driver Blasts Mattia Binotto – “Does Not Deserve The Job”
Former Ferrari driver Rene Arnoux has spoken about Mattia Binotto’s exit from the team.
It was announced shortly after the end of the 2022 season that Binotto will be parting ways with the Ferrari team at the end of this year. Binotto started with the team in 1995 working in the engine department and then worked his way up to be chief technical officer and team principal.
Arnoux, who raced for Ferrari between 1983 and 1985, claimed Binotto’s departure from the team was overdue during an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport. He explained:
“I have never been a fan of Binotto. Someone who says he will do better next year does not deserve the job. I would have kicked him out years ago.
“His behaviour is unacceptable when you head the best team in the world. Jean Todt may or may not be loved, but he would never have said, ‘Next year will be better’. He would win, and if he had won he would think about the next year. But of people like Todt and Ron Dennis, there are very few.”
Although Binotto has been with the team for a very long time, it has not come as a huge shock to many as Ferrari have been struggling for a few years now. The 2022 season kicked off incredibly well with Charles Leclerc showing fantastic performance. However, the team suffered from multiple car issues and strategical errors throughout the rest of the season.
2022 was still a big improvement for the team following the previous two years and both Ferrari and Leclerc took second place in the constructor’s championship and driver’s championship, respectively.
It has now been confirmed that Binotto will be replaced by Frederic Vasseur, who worked with Leclerc when he made his F1 debut for Sauber in 2018, when Vasseur was the team principal.
