Mattia Binotto tendered his resignation at Ferrari, just after the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. During his time with the Scuderia, he’s worked extensively on getting Ferrari back to where it belongs. Arguably, he did not succeed at the final hurdle. But as he leaves, he’s ensured that he leaves the team with enough to regroup and fight back in 2023.

Binotto was heading the power unit side of things at Ferrari back in their heyday. But since he assumed his role as team principal, he’s overlooked every aspect of the team from Maranello. At least, on the eve of his exit from a team he’s spent his whole career with, he left with the knowledge of giving them the best chance at Formula 1 glory.

It can be argued that the Italian Engineer was fired one season too early. Sentiments that he too would resound. Binotto can only wait and watch what his leadership brought to the Scuderia. He was quoted by Formu1a.uno after the Abu Dhabi GP saying, “We have to focus on making the car faster and more reliable. These are the keys to fight at the top for the entire season.”

“We won’t copy anyone, the F1-75 is a great starting point. We will stay loyal to our concept, and try to improve performance in every area.”

Read More: Ferrari Slammed for Mattia Binotto Exit, Leaving Weakest Link Exposed

After the news emerged that Binotto had resigned from Ferrari, many commented that it was as expected, given the torrid history of the team with its management. However, one man was surprised by how long it took for Binotto to lose his grip on the job.

Toto Wolff surprised with the length of Mattia Binotto’s Ferrari tenure

When you’re at the helm of Ferrari, it’s never going to be easy. Things weren’t made easier for the Italian given the fact that during his reign, Ferrari suffered arguably its most horrible slump. But for Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, he was surprised Binotto managed to even stay through it all.

On the Beyond the Grid podcast, Wolff said, “Mattia and I had our moments, it’s no secret over these many years. It was always clear that he was under tremendous pressure. Being a team principal at Ferrari, you better have a good contract for your exit. And now probably the unavoidable happened.”

“But he held on to it longer than I thought.”

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Was Ferrari right in letting Binotto leave? Is this the start of another disappointing era in Ferrari’s F1 history?