Binotto Ferrari exit rumours intensify, resignation imminent?

Binotto’s future has been the subject of intense speculation in recent weeks after Ferrari failed to end their long wait to win F1 world titles, with Red Bull and Max Verstappen ultimately dominating the 2022 season. 

After a positive start to the campaign with two wins from the opening three races, Ferrari’s season quickly collapsed amid a catalogue of poor strategy calls, reliability failures and driver errors.

With the pressure increasing on Binotto in the second half of the year, reports in Italian media claimed that he was set to be axed by Ferrari over the winter. 

Ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Ferrari responded by issuing a statement which stated the rumours were “totally without foundation”, while Binotto insisted he remained “relaxed” over his future.

"Obviously it's not down to me to decide, but I'm pretty relaxed,” Binotto said in Abu Dhabi. 

"The reason why I'm relaxed is that I have always open, frank and constructive discussion with my bosses, with my chairman, not only on the short term but on the medium and the long term.

"More than that, if I look back at the season, yes, we had a few up and downs and today we are not the fastest car on track, but we achieved our main objective to be back and competitive in the new era of the 2022 cars."

According to a report by Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera on Friday, Binotto and Ferrari are now defining terms of an “agreed separation”, with an official announcement of Binotto’s departure expected imminently. 

The report claims Binotto is leaving following a breakdown in trust from Ferrari president John Elkann. 

Current Alfa Romeo F1 boss Frederic Vasseur has been mooted as the favourite to replace Binotto, a move which reportedly has the support of Charles Leclerc, who previously raced for Vasseur during his rookie F1 season with Sauber in 2018.