Damon Hill strongly urges Ferrari to bring back Mattia Binotto as their disastrous run continues

Mattia Binotto is currently tipped to become Alpine's next team principal.

Damon Hill and Mattia Binotto via the Guardian

In the aftermath of Ferrari’s failure to sustain a championship challenge against Red Bull in the 2022 season, Mattia Binotto left the team and is currently serving a period of gardening leave. He was blamed for the majority of their shortcomings and was replaced by Frederic Vasseur in an effort to get the Scuderia back on track.

Prior to his appointment as team boss, Mattia Binotto worked his way up the ranks at Ferrari, serving in various technical roles within the team. His experience and expertise in these positions contributed to his eventual elevation to the role of team principal.

Speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast, Damon Hill has urged the team to employ him in a different capacity. He said, “He’s technical, and I think he’s very important to the team. I think he’s got enormous talent, and I’d bring him back in and say ‘okay, you can run all the technical side of things’. But I was surprised that they [Ferrari] couldn’t fit the two in [Binotto and Team Principal Fred Vasseur], because I think Fred Vasseur is that sort of guy, he understands racing”

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Mattia Binotto has emerged as a prime candidate to replace Otmar Szafnauer at Alpine following CEO Laurent Rossi’s public criticism. Should he join the French outfit that would rule out the possibility of a return to the red of Ferrari.

Mattia Binotto’s time at Ferrari was shrouded in criticism

Mattia Binotto tendered his resignation and announced his departure from Ferrari at the end of the 2022 season. He was subsequently replaced by Frederic Vasseur as the Team Principal. Binotto’s position became untenable after losing the confidence of Ferrari’s president, John Elkann.

This was primarily due to the team’s struggles against the dominant Red Bull and Max Verstappen throughout the season. Ferrari’s performance at times appeared helpless and even amateurish, leading to Binotto’s departure from the team. Despite assuming the post in 2019, Mattia Binotto could not effectively reverse Ferrari’s fortunes during his tenure as team principal.

Alpine reportedly contacted Mattia Binotto as a possible replacement for Otmar Szafnauer but the former Ferrari Team Principal refused the offer.

The name that stands out the most now regarding a possible replacement for Otmar Szafnauer is that of Eric Boullier, ex-boss of…
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) May 11, 2023

The team’s performance and results did not improve significantly under his leadership, resulting in a lack of success and unfulfilled expectations during that period. As the 2022 season unfolded and Red Bull continued to outpace Ferrari in terms of development, the Scuderia faced numerous shortcomings in terms of reliability, strategy, and performance from their drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

Ferrari encountered several issues in these areas, preventing them from mounting a strong challenge against their competitors. However, despite replacing him, their troubles have persisted, hinting that he was not the primary issue. His technical expertise, as mentioned by Damon Hill, would be invaluable to the team as they are desperate to turn their fortunes around for the remainder of the season.