Team boss Mattia Binotto and Ferrari will go their separate ways in the future. The two-time Formula 1 world champion Mika Häkkinen doubts that the influence of top driver Charles Leclerc is behind it.
After around 28 years, Mattia Binotto is leaving “his” Ferrari racing team. The Italians announced on Tuesday that the 53-year-old’s resignation at the end of the year had been accepted. It was the “right time” to say goodbye, Binotto said in the F1 team’s official statement.
According to media reports, the reason for the separation is mainly due to the differences with Ferrari boss John Elkann. In the Formula 1 circus, there are also persistent rumors that top driver Charles Leclerc was also involved. Since the team management around Binotto had screwed up several chances for the 25-year-old in 2022 in order to possibly have a serious word in the race for the world championship, he is said to have pushed for a change in management.
Rumors ex-racing driver Mika Häkkinen in conversation with “Sky Sports” quite irritated. “When I drove in Formula 1, it was never about whether you liked someone. It was about how good you were, how committed, intelligent. That was decisive and not how you looked or whether you got on well with people,” said the Finn: “You have to work in a team that respects people and their talent, their knowledge and their commitment to the sport. I doubt there’s anything to it.”
Max Verstappen dominance? Häkkinen smells “surprises”
When asked about a possible dominance of world champion Max Verstappen in the coming years, Mika Häkkinen also expressed skepticism. In view of Red Bull’s superiority in the past season and Verstappen’s 146-point lead over Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, many F1 fans fear that it could get boring at the top in the next few years.
On the one hand, Häkkinen praised the “great work” of Verstappen and his team on the TV station, expressly emphasizing his former companion and Red Bull chief designer Adrian Newey. But: “The regulations in Formula 1 have changed. This gives other teams new opportunities to be successful. So I don’t think it’s so clear that he can continue to dominate in this way. He’s a great driver , but I’m confident we’ll have a few surprises.”
Mika Häkkinen didn’t know who Max Verstappen could be dangerous in 2023.