Man Oh, Man! The Alpine Saga continues to unfold in full force. After Otmar Szafnauer got mercilessly sacked for not improving the team’s performance, Mattia Binotto was rumored to replace him at the Enstone outfit. A final agreement had been said to finalize between him and Renault. But, just as things had started rolling for the ex-Ferrari boss, his $3 million contract with Ferrari has come as an obstacle for Alpine.

After being spotted in the paddock at the British GP, Binotto was present at Spa as well. But he made it to Spa after the Belgian GP concluded. All he was there for was the tire test conducted by Pirelli. It was reported that he would be replacing Alpine’s interim TP Bruno Famin by September. Although his ‘gardening leave’ with Ferrari is preventing him from doing so.

Under the leadership of Binotto, Ferrari did improve, but they were never consistent. Poor strategic decisions had destroyed races for the Scuderia that should have been easily won. As a result of that, he left the team at the end of 2022. Though the team failed under him, Mattia had a lot of inside information. To prevent that from being leaked to other teams, the Maranello outfit gave him 12 months of salary for 2023. For these 12 months, also known as the ‘gardening leave’, he cannot join a rival team.

Read More: Ratifying Fernando Alonso’s Rant Against Otmar Szafnauer, F1 Legend Slams Alpine for Losing a “Leader”

While Binotto’s future in F1 is looking better, Szafnauer has finally opened up on why he left Alpine.

Otmar Szafnauer reveals his split with Alpine was 100% mutual

Otmar Szafnauer revealed he had asked for more time from the Renault bosses to solve the team’s issues. However, they just couldn’t come to a fixed agreement over the timeline.

“Yeah, it was definitely mutual,” said Szafnauer. “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 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. So, yeah, mutual.“

Mutual or not, the unfortunate decision has been made. But what is bad news for Szafnauer is music for Binotto’s ears. Now, the ball lies in Ferrari’s court – Binotto will be a free and happy man if they allow him to take over Alpine.

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