Ex-Ferrari sporting director says Mattia Binotto wasn’t meant to be team principal

It’s been an unsettling first half of the season for Scuderia Ferrari, who have arguably been their own worst enemy so far in 2022.

The Italian team should be much closer than 97 points behind Red Bull Racing in the Constructors’ Championship but have struggled with a number of issues this season.

Without a doubt, Ferrari have the fastest car this year, with the F1-75 consistently faster than Red Bull’s RB18 in qualifying trim.

However, all of Ferrari’s problems have surfaced during the races, with powertrain being one of the biggest problems so far this season.

READ: Petition for Ferrari’s Mattia Binotto sacking gains momentum

Both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc have had a string of engine failures, with Leclerc having one while leading both the Spanish and Azerbaijan Grands Prix.

Carlos Sainz suffered a dramatic retirement at the Austrian Grand Prix as he came close to overtaking Max Verstappen for P2 at the Red Bull Ring in what would have been a one-two for Ferrari.

Engine failures were not Ferrari’s only problem and their strategies once again left a lot to be desired.

The Italian team made an incredible number of strategic mistakes, most of which fell victim to Charles Leclerc.

The Monegasque rider has lost the lead in three races this season due to strategic mishaps.

The latest mistake happened at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Leclerc went from first to sixth after being fitted with the wrong tire compound.

Ferrari has fitted Leclerc with the Hard compound, although Pirelli has told all teams not to use the rubber due to the cool track temperatures.

This resulted in Leclerc having to make an extra stop after slipping all the way through due to lack of grip.

All the troubles Ferrari has endured have increased the pressure on team boss Mattia Binotto; However, Binotto is certain that no changes need to be made to the team.

Binotto became team boss in 2019 after serving as the team’s technical director for three years.

The Ferrari boss “had to learn a job that was not intended for him,” said former Ferrari sports director Cesare Fiorio.

Binotto has revealed he was never interested in becoming Ferrari team boss, insisting to Sky Sports it wasn’t his big dream.

READ: Red Bull ‘ready to team up with new engine partner in 2026’ amid Porsche rumours.

Fiorio describes Binotto as “an excellent technician who had to learn a job that is not his own”.

Fioro hopes Binotto can turn the tide at Ferrari and return to the form they showed in early 2022.

“Now he has to make sure that Ferrari regains the shine it had at the beginning of the season,” he told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.