Ferrari "can't discard Binotto like a football manager"

Former Formula 1 driver and current Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle has called on Ferrari to support their team principal Mattia Binotto, saying they shouldn't "discard him like a football manager."

Binotto replaced Maurizio Arrivabene at the start of this season as the team principal, having previously been the technical director of the side. However, performance hasn't been as good as expected this season, with rivals Mercedes claiming one-two finishes in the first five races - something which has never happened in Formula 1 history.

In his latest column, Brundle defends Binotto, saying Ferrari should back him in times of trouble.

"The Ferrari drivers are both making too many mistakes, and the team's race strategies lack clarity and conviction," Brundle wrote in his column on Sky Sports.

"They are allowing an over-performing Max Verstappen in a temporarily mildly underperforming Red Bull to outshine them. Even when they did have Merc on the ropes in Bahrain they blew it.

“However, the team must unequivocally and openly support their leader Mattia Binotto and build further support around him. Not discard him like some kind of football manager merry-go-round.

"He seems a decent man, a racer with absolute knowledge of all things Ferrari F1, and an approachable and inclusive manager at a time when the team needs stability.

“I asked Binotto on camera in Bahrain if he felt he could really handle a role which to a large extent Mercedes share between the considerable talents of Toto Wolff, James Allison and Andy Cowell. Yes, the same James Allison Ferrari let go, among others. Binotto replied that he had the right people around him to complete the task.”