“I learned a lot from him,” Mattia Binotto explains the influence of Michael Schumacher in his journey of becoming a leader


“I learned a lot from him,” Mattia Binotto explains the influence of Michael Schumacher in his journey of becoming a leader

Mattia Binotto

Without a doubt, every Formula 1 fan can claim that Ferrari holds a special place in their hearts. Through all these years, Ferrari has become one of the greatest and most successful F1 teams in the sport. Started under the aegis of the visionary Enzo Ferrari in Maranello, Italy, Ferrari’s wings have now spread to several countries across the seven continents because of their supreme race cars.

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Being the oldest team on the track, Ferrari has had its fair share of ups and downs. The 92-year-old team struggled to stay at P3 for the last two years due to their car which lacked speed and consistency, when compared with the cars from their rival teams such as Mercedes and Red Bull. While all the fans were getting disappointed with Ferrari’s performance in 2020 and 2021, Team Principal Mattia Binotto had stayed with the team through it all.

In several interviews, Binotto had said Ferrari was focusing all its resources into building the perfect car for the 2022 season, when the FIA would put into effect the new rules that they had suggested to mark an end to the turbo-hybrid era. And now, as we are three races into the 2022 season of Formula 1, we can see how Ferrari has excelled in their engineering. The SF-75 has proved to be the car to look out for this season. But Binotto says he learnt how to lead this great team from one of the greatest racers in the history of F1–Michael Schumacher.

“I learnt a lot from him” : Mattia Binotto comments on the lessons Michael Schumacher left for him

Scuderia Ferrari's Team Principal Mattia Binotto
Scuderia Ferrari’s Team Principal Mattia Binotto

Scuderia Ferrari’s time with Michael Schumacher is one of the greatest driver-team associations in the history of the Maranello outfit. Schumacher had won 7 Driver’s Championships with his Ferrari cars, and Mattia Binotto had been witness to his greatness.

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Mattia Binotto succeeded Maurizio Arrivabene as Ferrari team principal in 2019. He joined the Scuderia in 1995 and worked in the engine department. Between 1999 and 2004, Schumacher had won 5 Championships and Binotto had seem him achieve this great feat. Speaking of that Schumacher era, Mattia Binotto said, “It was a fantastic time. I’m proud to have been part of it.”

He further said, “And not only that, I learned a lot from him [Schumacher]. I picked up this mentality and ability to be a leader from him. I will never forget that.”

With such a rich “Ferrari culture” engrained inside him, Mattia Binotto wishes to take his team to new heights in his tenure as the Team Principal. Will Ferrari be able to stay consistent and achieve the results they aim for this year? Is another Constructors’ Championship coming to Maranello after the long wait since 2008? Only time has the answer to these questions.

Read More: “He has a very good capacity of calming down,” Charles Leclerc takes his hat off to Mattia Binotto following his success with resurgent Ferrari

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