If only Ferrari had chosen Vasseur AND Binotto at the helm

Three Grands Prix and only 26 points: Ferrari has started the year dramatically. Indeed, the Italians did not start a Formula 1 season so disastrously in 14 years. Frederic Vasseur was supposed to put things in order, but for now we see very little of it. But it is not Vasseur's fault. Whose fault is it? Ferrari itself! But then, thanks to Vasseur's arrival, is there any light at the end of the title? No, far from it.

The Maranello-based stable was firmly convinced at the start of 2022: they would finally compete for the world title again. At the start of the season, Ferrari had a bolide at least equivalent to Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez's RB18. As we all know, Red Bull managed to develop the bolide fantastically and Ferrari did not. And no, that is not down to Binotto.

Team boss with bizarre technical baggage

The 53-year-old (now) former team boss has been treated like rubbish. Binotto was responsible for Ferrari returning to the top after difficult years in 2020 and 2021. The car was competitive, so with his engineering background, the Italian knows how to build a strong car. That things did not work out as hoped in 2020 and 2021 was mainly due to new engine restrictions imposed by the FIA.

So, Binotto made sure Ferrari returned to the top, but was then simply shown the door again. Right at a time when Ferrari could use his technical knowledge the most. There were steps to be taken, and those steps (with the start of the 2023 season in mind) only got bigger. That technical chief David Sanchez decided to leave in Binotto's wake only complicates the task.

(text continues below photo)
After the Bahrain Grand Prix, David Sanchez unexpectedly left Ferrari.

Sending Binotto away particularly awkward (as it now turns out)

Vasseur can do a lot of things well. He can also do a lot of things better than Binotto, no doubt. But Binotto has technical knowledge, a lot more than his French successor. By sending Binotto packing, Ferrari has just flushed seventeen years of technical knowledge and experience down the drain. With Sanchez's departure, Ferrari must now also look for a replacement to lead the development of the car. But where do you get such a replacement in the middle of the season? You can't, but the SF-23 needs to be developed further. Ferrari is rudderless at the moment...

Picking a replacement for Sanchez from another team is not that easy. Not only because the Formula 1 season is in full swing and no one just lets go of a project they have started, but also because buying staff away from competitors always involves a 'gardening leave'. Should Ferrari attract someone from outside, that person will probably first have to watch from the sidelines for at least 12 months without being involved. And yes, by then it will be halfway through the 2024 season.

Perhaps James Key might be an interesting option for Ferrari. The technical director was sent away by McLaren last month and is now without a job at home. At AlphaTauri, Key had a particularly good reputation, but at Woking he (apparently) could not live up to expectations. The 51-year-old Briton has a certain track record AND is available. Perhaps Ferrari should make a call, as they could well use extra knowledge.

Tasks far too big

Back to Binotto, because I am convinced Binotto was not Ferrari's problem. OK, in terms of management it could have been better and putting the right men in the right place is not exactly his great strength (something Vasseur has proven to be good at in the past), but Binotto is an excellent engineer. That Ferrari could not keep up with Red Bull's development pace is not Binotto's fault. It is Ferrari's fault, because (as has been the case for several years now) Binotto's remit was too large.

Whereas Red Bull Racing, with Christian Horner, Helmut Marko, Adrian Newey and (perhaps to a slightly lesser extent) team manager Jonathan Wheatley, clearly divided all tasks, at Ferrari Binotto actually seemed to be responsible for EVERYTHING. Christian Horner or Toto Wolff really don't concern themselves with building a car, but Binotto did. Because he had to, and because that's where his strength lies.

(Text continues below photo)
Mattia Binotto was ultimately responsible for many more departments at Ferrari than Christian Horner's. (Photo: Red Bull Content Pool)

Duo Vasseur/Binotto would have been fantastic

Binotto is not the perfect team director for Ferrari, but as head of the technical department, few are better than him. Vasseur has more qualities required of a team boss. Vasseur, who came over from Alfa Romeo Racing, is very experienced, knows how a team works and how the lines should run. He has shown this in both Formula 2 and Formula 1. He puts the right people in the right place and knows how to form a whole.

Ferrari made a huge blunder by disrespectfully parting ways with Binotto. A Ferrari with Vasseur at the head with adjutant Binotto beside him looking after everything to do with engineering: that would have been a rock-solid line-up!

To say Ferrari is not doing well at the moment is an understatement. I hope Vasseur gets time to bring order to the chaos, because with this mess (and Sanchez's sudden departure), it's hard to blame him. Taking away Inaki Rueda's strategic leadership and sending him back to the Maranello factory was an excellent choice, now just send Charles Leclerc's race engineer Xavier Marcos Padros down the lane.