The collapse of Ferrari’s strategy. Why was the boss sacked?
Last season one of the most talked about decisions at Ferrari was the sacking of Mattia Binotto. There was a lot of pressure from the public, and it was more akin to demanding that the boss be sacked, just as in football fans demand that the coach be sacked. In fact, none of the Formula One teams had experienced such severe public pressure up to that point. And this is aimed at one single person. Well, in the end, everything worked out as it should have. The decision was made. But what’s that got to do with it? The whole point is that Mattia’s failure cannot be called a failure of the whole team.
Why did the team do things differently?
It’s worth saying right away that Mattia Binotto is, you could say, the heart of Ferrari. He stood at the origins of the team and has played a key role throughout his career. He grew up with Ferrari and won.
Every year the car’s recognition and interest in it only grew. In fact, the concern had been going its own way for some time. And at a certain point, that path led to F1.
What about Mattia Binotto?
The man was appointed team principal in 2019, and immediately there was a new #EssereFerrari philosophy. This inscription was on the team’s cars. The gist of the philosophy says to not be like others and to go our own way. Many people said it was “Pride” and not a philosophy. Of course, you can’t say that Ferrari is an unknown team that has achieved nothing. But with the arrival of the new director there has been a change, as the team began to signify its uniqueness.
But here we should look at other teams, where previously successful managers, rather than the youngsters, act as directors. But it’s still the Ferrari way. And it started as a team engineer, all leading up to a major position. That means a lot, especially given the stiff competition. But it’s not for nothing that they say that any employee has to go their own way, and only after that to hold a certain position.
The crux of the problem
Ferrari decided it was worth challenging absolutely everyone, in their own style, proudly and with passion. And what ended up happening? It led to a scandal with illegal engine operations, and the result was 2 years of incomprehensible performances in the middle group. So the results were negative.
And after the first victories of the current year, expectations were high, but they were not met. With the team becoming vice-champions, few were happy about it.
With Mattia Binotto’s arrival, there were many mistakes and blunders, and even with excellent technique, there were very few wins. And the team was not coherent, and it was the boss who was responsible for that.
So the philosophy simply failed and the image of the whole team was ruined.
