Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
Mattia Binotto is not the most popular figure in the Formula 1 paddock, evidenced by the friction between him and Ferrari that is still present to this day.
The 56-year-old joined Ferrari in 1995 and worked his way through the ranks with his technical expertise. Binotto replaced Maurizio Arrivabene as team principal in 2019, but he would only last until 2022.
Under Binotto’s leadership, the Maranello outfit struggled to mount a serious title challenge. After losing to Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes in 2019, Ferrari suffered their lowest finish in the championship since 1973 in 2020, finishing sixth with no wins.
Fred Vasseur refuses to use team orders at Ferrari – Is he wrong?
Ferrari went winless again in 2021, before Binotto made progress with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in 2022 with four victories. However, by this stage, friction between the team boss and the board resulted in a lack of confidence in the Swiss engineer.
His position became untenable, and Binotto resigned in 2022, being replaced by the current team principal, Fred Vasseur. Even four years on, there is clear disdain between the two parties.
Ferrari do not acknowledge Mattia Binotto in the Formula 1 paddock
Now with Audi, the 56-year-old clearly still has a great love for his former employers. Binotto was hurt watching Ferrari in 2025 as they finished fourth in the standings with no wins.
However, that feeling of respect is not reciprocated by Ferrari. Journalist Keman Sengul notes via Motorsport Turkiye that the Maranello outfit barely pay any attention to Binotto, who he describes as not ‘exactly a popular figure’.
“Well, Mattia Binotto is a bit of an odd one,” he said. “I’ve actually had the chance to see him in the paddock. I don’t think he’s the sort of person who gets on very well with those around him.
“Ferrari, when I walk past the Ferrari garage, no one looks at Binotto, nor have I ever seen him enter the Ferrari garage. He doesn’t have many friends.
“In my opinion, he isn’t exactly a popular figure in the paddock either. Well, of course, the reasons for this might lie in his own character and demeanour.
“Audi really values him right now because of his technical expertise, and it seems he’s steering the team in the right direction. But getting along with him doesn’t seem all that easy. We saw this most recently in the case of Jonathan Wheatley.”
READ MORE: Who is Audi F1 project chief Mattia Binotto? Everything you need to know
Is Mattia Binotto the right man to lead Audi after Jonathan Wheatley’s exit?
Ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix in 2026, Binotto will assume the role of team principal at Audi, as Jonathan Wheatley is set to leave for Aston Martin. Reports about the sudden exit back up the theory that the former is not the biggest people pleaser in the paddock.
Wheatley and Binotto clashed numerous times at Audi, which resulted in the former’s exit from the team. It was even said that Wheatley’s signing was not ‘coordinated’ with Binotto at all.
Audi confirm Jonathan Wheatley’s exit – Who should take over as their team principal?
With Wheatley gone, responsibility now lies with Binotto. He has the experience of leading a team and will be a huge help for a newcomer like Audi.
But it is clear that the 56-year-old is quite hard to work with. The scars of his tenure as Ferrari team principal are still there, and whether he can guide Audi to strong results is another question.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
