Ferrari paying Mattia Binotto extra to ensure he does not join a rival in 2023 – Reports

Despite the manner of his departure, Mattia Binotto is a well-regarded engineer and would be an asset to any team, especially in the technical department. Ferrari know this - so they've ensured he does not join up forces elsewhere in 2023.

Ferrari paying Mattia Binotto extra to ensure he does not join a rival in 2023 – Reports

Mattia Binotto

Mattia Binotto recently ended a 28-year association with Ferrari. Rumors of him being replaced by Frederic Vasseur had emerged in November, which both he and Ferrari denied. Vasseur’s response had been a little bit more cryptic, with him refusing to comment because everyone would ‘find out soon enough’. By the end of the month, news came in that Binotto had handed in his resignation.

Just as the rumors had suggested, he was eventually replaced by Vasseur. The Italian was under a lot of pressure (just as Vasseur will be) – the Ferrari team principal job is possibly the hottest job in motorsport. His first season was 2019, in which the team were certainly competitive, but 2020 and 2021 became years of recovery due to the engine controversy surrounding them.

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In 2022, they returned to fighting at the front, but as the curtain drew in, the feeling was that Ferrari had underperformed, with a lot of the criticism being directed toward strategy and reliability. Binotto, being the team boss, bore the brunt of it. While it’s fair to say that he wasn’t the best TP, he is still a highly-regarded engineer and would be coveted by other teams or prospective entrants for that role – like Andretti, or Sauber (set to become Audi).

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But Ferrari have made sure that he isn’t able to go and join a possible rival, at least in 2023. According to formu1a.uno, the Maranello outfit will provide extra compensation, to extend Binotto’s gardening leave. His ‘contract’ is/was set to expire at the end of 2023. So he will be on gardening leave for around 12 months – pretty much until the end of his original contract.

Read More: Frederic Vasseur ‘secretly’ visited Ferrari factory before Christmas – Reports

Where could Mattia Binotto eventually end up?

Mattia Binotto
Mattia Binotto

Both Alfa Romeo-Sauber and Williams currently have vacancies in the team principal post (Williams are missing a CEO as well). But due to Mattia Binotto’s ‘gardening leave’ period, even if the teams had wanted him – he wouldn’t be able to join them. However, he is free from 2024 onwards. He could potentially find a place at many of the current Formula 1 teams – especially in a technical role.

Binotto joined Ferrari all the way back in 1995 and became the head of the engine department in 2013. In 2016, he was promoted to Chief Technical Officer, and then in 2019, replaced Maurizio Arrivabene as team principal. He’s clearly an incredibly tenured and respected engineer. Prospective entrants like Andretti, Porsche, Panthera, or billionaire Calvin Lo could be taking a look at him. In a technical capacity, anyways.

Sauber, who will become Audi’s works team in 2026, may be another interested party. Unless his time as team principal has turned teams off him, it’s unlikely that he will have a lack of suitors. It’ll be interesting to see where the Italian eventually does end up – and if he can potentially get a bit of payback from Ferrari. 2024 is set to be an intriguing year for Binotto.

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