Last year, internal problems at Ferrari escalated when Charles Leclerc had a falling out with then-team principal Mattia Binotto. Because of Ferrari’s failure to win the title and the rising tensions with the Monegasque, Binotto got the sack, and Leclerc reunited with Fred Vasseur, with whom he worked together in Sauber in 2018. More recently, Leclerc sat down for an interview (reported by Formula Passion) and, while talking about Vasseur and his impact on the team, looked like taking a subtle jibe at Binotto.
In 2018, Vasseur and Leclerc worked together at Sauber, sharing the same dynamic they do now. Having become good friends over the years, Vasseur’s on-boarding was the comfortable choice for Leclerc as he felt lost after what went down between him and Binotto. Despite the Frenchman not making a huge difference in the life of Leclerc, the Monegasque driver feels more at home and is full of praise for his team principal.
Charles Leclerc takes a veiled dig at Binotto
Few would have forgotten the famous image of Binotto pointing his finger at Leclerc’s face as the Monegasque stood in front of the Reggio engineer following the 2022 British GP. Carrying the ache of the incident to this day, Leclerc took the time to praise his new team principal in what was also a thinly veiled jibe at his former boss.
As quoted by Formula Passion, the Ferrari driver claimed he needed a person who scolded him when he was wrong and praised him when he was right- something Vasseur often does- which is “Not easy to find” in Ferrari.
“He is good at motivating you and calming you down when you need it, furthermore he has always been very direct with me. It seems like a very simple thing, but when you come to Formula 1 and you’re a Ferrari driver, there aren’t many people who are so honest and it’s difficult to find them.”
In 2023, for the first time since 1994, Binotto did not have to prepare for an upcoming season of racing. While he may not be present in the Ferrari paddock, the 53-year-old is still a member of the team and is serving his ‘gardening leave.’ The leave is a special clause in a contract, which means an employee is still part of the team but not a working member. This also prevents them from working elsewhere. However, things might soon change for the ex-Ferrari Team Principal.
Binotto to lead a new team in 2024?
At the 2023 British GP, exactly a year after the incident between him and Leclerc, Binotto made an unexpected appearance in the paddock. While he was nowhere near his team garage, Binotto was seen having a word with a Pirelli official near the tire supplier’s office. Soon after, news broke of Audi offering the role of team principal to Binotto for the 2026 season. Binotto even met with the Audi executives and got a tour of their base.
Unimpressed with what he saw, the former Ferrari man declined the offer from the German carmakers. Hoping to make their team a ‘Ferrari-like’ outfit, Alpine now emerges as top contenders to sign Binotto as their team principal. Not only will the Frenchman bring decades worth of experience to the table, but he will also come in with vast knowledge of how the Ferrari engines work as Alpine looks to turn its fate around.
