Mattia Binotto progressed all the way to the top at Ferrari after beginning as a power unit engineer back in the year 1995.
But, after his fairytale with the prancing horse came to a halt as he stepped down from his position as boss of the Italian team.
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Binotto, who took over as team principal in the year 2019 after replacing Maurizio Arrivabene had a promising start to life at the helm he has been involved with for over two decades.
Having had a huge role to play in the redesign of the engine and chassis of the Formula One car for the world’s most famous brand, Binotto’s first year at the head of the prancing horse was one filled with promise. Victories at home turf Monza, Spa-Francorchamps and a 1-2 at the Singapore Grand Prix.
But, the following year, 2020 was one that proved to be way more challenging for the Swiss-born Italian.
The COVID-hit season was also one in which four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel announced that he had decided to part ways with Ferrari at the end of the season after talks of a contract extension failed to materialise.
Binotto opted to replace the German with Carlos Sainz Junior, while also being at the head of the table as Ferrari decided to enter into a settlement with Formula One pertaining to their power unit.
Charles Lecler’s second place on the podium at Austria ended up being the Italian outfit’s best result of a season in which Ferrari finished at sixth position, a forty-year low for the gold standard of racing.
The 2021 season was supposed to be Binotto’s watershed year, but it turned out to be another campaign in which Ferrari was left chasing shadows as Red Bull and Mercedes came up with ultra-competitive motor vehicles as the Italian manufacturer was left playing catch up early on in the season.
With the title race yet again out of reach, Ferrari decided to shift their focus to the 2022 campaign, which began with statement victories.
Ferrari showed pace as Leclerc was the toast of the town following his opening-round dominance. The Monegasque shot to a substantial lead thanks to Ferrari’s 1-2 finish at the curtain raiser in Bahrain, a double podium in Saudi and yet another title for Leclerc in Australia.
But the lead evaporated as Ferrari struggled with predicament after predicament ranging from strategic debacles to issues with the reliability of the vehicle and an outpouring of anger from the Ferrari-faithful ensued, piling the pressure on the 53-year-old.
To make things worse, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen hit a purple patch to turn the season around with a record number of victories to leave Leclerc and the Italian outfit eating smoke.
There were rumours going around that Binotto was facing the axe, but Ferrari brushed away any such claims, dismissing them as baseless.
But, on the 29th of November 2022, Binotto put an end to his time at the helm of his beloved Ferrari as he signed off from the Italian manufacturer stepping down from his role as the team boss.
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