Mattia Binotto sends message to suffering Ferrari F1 fans after he was forced out of the team

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Ferrari are on course for one of the worst Formula 1 seasons in their recent history. Former team principal Mattia Binotto has weighed in on their plight.

There have only been two occasions in the 21st century where Ferrari have failed to win a race and finished lower than third in the championship – 2014 and 2020.

But the Scuderia only have six rounds remaining to end their drought, and a run of five Grands Prix without so much as a podium suggests they’re drifting further away from that objective. A surging Red Bull could demote them to fourth in the championship in Austin, having closed the gap to 10 points.

Binotto spent nearly 30 years at Ferrari after joining their engine team in 1995. He worked his way up to the role of team principal in 2019 but only lasted until the end of 2022.

Mattia Binotto admits he’s suffering watching former team Ferrari

Binotto resigned, rather than being sacked, but a report from BBC Sport at the time noted that he ‘paid the price’ for Ferrari’s poor reliability and operational errors in 2022, when Charles Leclerc’s early title bid unravelled.

But despite the circumstances of his exit, Binotto feels saddened by Ferrari’s current plight. As a long-serving member of the team, he knows how much effort the team staff are putting in.

Binotto is now leading Audi’s F1 project, with the German giants launching their works team next year after acquiring Sauber.

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Asked by Autosprint what he would say to Ferrari fans in this ‘frustrating’ moment, he replied: “That I suffer like them. And also for the many people who worked in Maranello, they give their heart and it’s not easy to live with these results.

“I can say that I’m sorry, but on a professional level I’ve turned the page and I have ambitious goals to achieve.”

Fred Vasseur’s private response to Christian Horner story

Ferrari won five races in 2022, finishing runner-up in the standings behind Red Bull. The narrative around the team soured as the season progressed – after challenging for the title they had to see off a late charge from Mercedes to keep second place.

Last year, Ferrari took just as many as victories, but finished strong with wins in the USA and Mexico as well as a double podium in Abu Dhabi. Just 14 points behind champions McLaren, they seemed set to challenge for the title.

Viewed through the lens of that objective, this season has been a total failure. Binotto replacement Fred Vasseur is under pressure even though he only signed a new contract in July.

Vasseur is irritated by Ferrari’s links to Horner, which have significantly intensified in the gap between Singapore and Austin. He’s likely to be given until at least the end of 2026.