Formula 1 has never been a friendly game to play. Relationships sour as easily as they are broken. And even though Ferrari may be the oldest Constructor on the grid, they haven’t wised up to this fact. Now, as they find themselves in a deeper pit than in 2022, Mattia Binotto seems to have emerged to add more insult to injury. With facts quickly catching up to the rumors of the ex-Ferrari boss being hired by Alpine, a recent development at Enstone may be the biggest selling point for the Italian to sign up for this project.

The French team was infused with a whopping $218,000,000 investment led by Hollywood heartthrob, Ryan Reynolds earlier this year. And while this is obviously a great factor for Alpine to push for greater heights in F1, for Binotto this becomes the weapon of choice to inflict pain on a team that he gave his blood, sweat, and tears to and in return got the boot.

Mattia Binotto masterminds Ferrari exodus

Cash is king in Formula 1. And with some hefty capital being given to the top dogs at the Enstone-based team, Binotto has his sights set firmly on sucking the life out of the Maranello-based team in pursuit of his own glory at his new team.

According to Motorsport.com, “Neither the head of the department, Enrico Gualtieri, who is very involved in defining next year’s red, nor Wolf Zimmermann, who is the project manager of unit 2026, should be part of the game.”

“But there could be important movements around the two pivots of the Cavallino. There is talk of very advantageous economic offers, with significant salary increases, which could push some members of the Scuderia to go to Paris.” [translated via Google Translate]

Read More: “Become the French Ferrari”: Despite Mattia Binotto’s Dismal Track Record, Renault CEO Makes Shocking Demand

Having said that, there’s one more thing that Binotto can get to Alpine that Otmar Szafnauer couldn’t.

Otmar Szafnauer reveals the reason for the Alpine axe

It’s no secret that Binotto didn’t have the smoothest of rides at Ferrari. However, in contrast to Szafnauer, Binotto may have promised a silver bullet that the outgoing boss couldn’t commit to.

The Athletic quoted Szafnauer as revealing, “I laid out the timelines as to how long it takes in F1 to effect change. You know, it’s not a football team — it’s only two [drivers] and 998 technicians, engineers and aerodynamicists, and to change a culture takes time. The timeline wasn’t accepted by the bosses of Renault — they wanted it quicker and that’s what we disagreed upon.”

Is Mattia Binotto the right man to lead Alpine?

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