“Gift for you Matty: BOX” – F1 fans come up with fun wishes as Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto turns 53

Mattia Binotto has been the team principal of Scuderia Ferrari since 2019, after being promoted to replace the departing Maurizio Arrivabene. He was also a key part of the team’s success in the 2000s with Michael Schumacher. He is credited for the team’s comeback in 2022 after a dismal year in 2020. He has made a reputation for being a calm-headed boss who does not point fingers at his own team.

Binotto is an Italian engineer who worked at Ferrari’s F1 engine division, before becoming the Prancing Horse’s chief technical officer in 2016 until the start of 2019. During this period, Ferrari was challenging the dominant Mercedes team for the championship but failed to turn it into a victory. Mattia has played a crucial role in leading the team back to winning ways in 2022.

YouTube video — Mattia was promoted to Team Principal in 2019 with a quest to end Ferrari’s championship drought

After the team’s failed bid for the championship with Charles Leclerc losing out with a giant gap to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, Mattia Binotto has not blamed any team personnel for any failures be it mechanical or strategic, he has always taken the fall for the whole team. Something which is not the norm at Ferrari. As such he has earned great respect from the fans and F1 experts alike.

FS Video

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“He has aged really well” – F1 fans are surprised at Mattia Binotto’s age

Ferrari has gotten back to winning ways under the 53-year-old

The Italian turns 53 today on 3rd November, and the fans expressed their love. On a Reddit post, fans wished Binotto with hilarious references to the Ferrari team principal, one user said, “Am I invited to your party. Question.” While one fan said, “Gift for you Matty: BOX.” One fan showed his love for the Italian through a short poem. Fans also mentioned their amazement over the 53-year-old’s age, with a user commenting, “Guy looks damn well for 53! He aged really well.” Another said, “So, he did age well. Question.”

Despite the mistakes and a drop in performance of Scuderia Ferrari in F1, Mattia is still one of the fan favorites with fans even talking about him doing a good job for the team and hoping that the Prancing Horse can bring glory again under him. It would be interesting to see how the Italian leads his team next year, after a big drop in the latter half of the season.