Generally they arrive again. In latest days, former Ferrari staff boss Mattia Binotto additionally talked concerning the Maranello staff and Lewis Hamilton. He shares his opinion on the present F1 period beneath Maranello’s path — and he does so bluntly. There are personalities on the planet of sport which can be extremely divisive. Mattia Binotto is undoubtedly considered one of them, a minimum of in our a part of the world. His lengthy tenure on the helm of the Prancing Horse was marked by clear highs and lows.
Sadly, essentially the most profitable intervals weren’t sufficient to deliver world titles again to the Italian facet They had been too quick to gasoline real hopes of success. One of many defining traits of his administration was the will to centralize “his powers.” For 5 seasons, he was each staff principal and technical director of the Maranello-based staff, exhibiting little inclination to delegate a lot, if something.
Regardless of counting on the unconditional assist of his interior circle, the Lausanne-born supervisor all the time made selections with out listening an excessive amount of to others. These selections weren’t taken calmly, however nonetheless made with nice confidence. After over thirty years at Ferrari, Mattia Binotto now faces the best problem of his profession. It’s a tough state of affairs, however it doesn’t appear to have began off badly.
We’re speaking about Audi’s entry into F1. Indisputably, the German model has no expertise within the high class of motorsport, though it has written chapters of historical past in different, equally demanding contexts. Audi’s debut is made potential due to the brand new regulatory framework — a situation that ought to remove the technological benefit held by present groups within the paddock.
Sauber’s ultimate season in F1, earlier than altering its identify, has thus far exceeded expectations. This can be a staff that final yr scored solely 4 factors, due to Zhou Guanyu’s eighth place in Bahrain. In 2025, after 9 races, the factors tally has quadrupled. That is no coincidence, even when this can be a transitional championship. Observe operations have additionally clearly improved.
In previous seasons, their pit stops had been extra like freeway relaxation space breaks than tyre modifications worthy of the highest tier of motorsport. A considerably harsh comparability, however one that completely captures the concept. It’s laborious to quantify how a lot of this turnaround is all the way down to the previous Ferrari determine, and maybe it doesn’t even matter that a lot. The actual purpose is to begin the brand new period of turbo-hybrid F1 on the correct foot.
Those that depart the Maranello staff usually expertise a sudden change of perspective. Professionals who had proven their full worth with rivals after which managed to hit the mark in different settings. For instance, we may point out Aldo Costa, James Allison, Andrea Stella, and lots of others. Discover how anybody who leaves the Prancing Horse systematically tries to keep away from talking concerning the historic Italian-based staff.
It’s unclear whether or not this silence is because of agreements with Ferrari or just because the parting wasn’t precisely peaceable. However in contrast to his illustrious predecessors, Mattia Binotto has by no means held again in giving his opinion on issues involving the Prancing Horse. In latest months, he plainly admitted that he would by no means have signed Lewis Hamilton.
Who didn’t assume again to those phrases when, within the ultimate laps of the Spanish Grand Prix, Nico Hülkenberg’s Sauber simply overtook the SF-25 of the seven-time world champion? In Maranello, they had been fast to level out that each Ferrari automobiles had points with the restart after the Security Automotive — however a Sauber overtaking a Ferrari beneath regular situations is pure science fiction.
In latest days, Mattia Binotto doubled down on his view relating to Ferrari’s signing of the seven-time world champion. In line with the Italian government, Lewis Hamilton is a driver of a sure age, nearing the top of his profession, who would have been helpful to Maranello prior to now. On the identical time, the previous Ferrari staff principal praised Max Verstappen, whom he considers the strongest driver on the grid — somebody each staff would like to have.
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