Binotto defended: 'No Toto Wolff, but he brought stability'

It had been in the air for some time, but on Tuesday Ferrari confirmed that Mattia Binotto will leave the team in the new calendar year. While Joe Saward feels that the team boss would have deserved a different farewell, at the same time he believes that it could also turn out positively for Ferrari.

The Italian formation hoped to compete for the world title this season. However, it turned out to be too high. Strategic and personal mistakes, among others, forced Ferrari to retire just after the summer break, putting a lot of pressure on Binotto at the end of the season.

Despite the disappointing year, Saward says Binotto has also shown many positives. "Binotto may not be Toto Wolff, but he has overseen an upshift in Ferrari performance thanks to providing stability," he states in his blog. "And a culture in which people are willing to take risks and come up with new ideas."

Binotto departure may help motivation

After a disappointing season in 2020, in which Ferrari finished in the middle of the pack, it climbed up in the next two race years. Saward, therefore, sees that Binotto did a handsome job, but thinks his departure could also help the racing stable move forward.

"Still, a massive failure can be a good source of motivation. In the end, the departure of Binotto can only be seen as the result of the top management thinking they know best. Binotto would not have left if he had felt protected from on high. Clearly he did not."