Former Ferrari team boss sees Audi possibly as new destination for Binotto
General
- GPblog.com
According to Cesare Fiorio, Ferrari is going to feel the departure of Mattia Binotto. The former team boss of the Italian racing stable argues that someone with a huge amount of technical knowledge has left. Precisely that knowledge could be very interesting for Audi, Fiorio thinks. Isn't Ferrari shooting itself in the foot with Binotto's departure?
There was much criticism of Ferrari having a shot at the world title in 2022, but due to poor pit stops, faulty strategies, and poor reliability, the two world titles ended up going to Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen. It cost Binotto his head. Fiorio, as Ferrari's driver, might also have chosen to appoint another team boss, but the Italian would have done everything possible to keep Binotto on board.
"I would have kept him in Maranello. The 2022 Ferrari car was on par with Red Bull, they were the two best cars of the season. They responded well in a championship that consisted of big changes in regulations. They lacked reliability and that cost them the world championship, but I still think Mattia is a great technician," he states to Corriere dello Sport.
Binotto to Audi?
Meanwhile, Fiorio wouldn't be surprised if Audi has now thrown out a line to Binotto. The German team will be competing in Formula 1 from 2026 and, with Andreas Seidl, has already brought in a big name to prepare and manage the project in the coming years. However, Seidl is not someone with as much technical background as Binotto.
"If I found myself in the situation of having to enter F1 soon, as Audi is going to do, I would not think about it for a minute: I would try to sign Binotto, he is someone I would not let slip through my fingers," Fiorio concludes his story.