Binotto planning to miss races amid Ferrari’s 2022 F1 preparations
Ferrari Formula 1 chief Mattia Binotto is planning to skip some races once again this season in order to help focus on the team's preparations for 2022
Binotto missed last year's Turkish Grand Prix and Bahrain Grand Prix as a trial to see how he could function as team principal from Ferrari's Maranello base, given the challenge posed by the proposed 23-race calendar for 2021.
Binotto also missed the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix through illness, with on-the-ground duties falling to Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies on all three weekends.
Speaking at Ferrari's 2021 team launch, Binotto confirmed that he would look to scale back how many races he was on-site for as the season wore on, allowing him to place a greater focus on preparations for the 2022 car.
"Last year, I missed some races because in the end, there is an entire company to manage and it's not only the race weekend at the race track," Binotto said.
"There are a lot of things going on back at Maranello, a lot of people to manage, co-ordinate, and the activity itself.
"This year will hopefully be a 23-race championship. It will be very long, it will be very dense in the second half, and there is quite a big challenge for 2022 as well to face.
"So, my intention will be again not to be at all the races in the 2021 season. Certainly I will be part of the start of the season itself.
"That will be important to at least assess our performance at the start, to make sure that everything is working well at the race track.
"But, at some stage, I will start missing some races and being back at Maranello concentrated on 2022."
Binotto stressed that he would remain heavily involved with the race weekends he does not attend, just as he did in 2020, but that Mekies would once again take over the reins on-site.
"Obviously when [I'm] back at Maranello we've got our remote garage, so I will always be in direct contact with the race track," Binotto said.
"But as well we've got our sporting director on track, Laurent Mekies, who has got a lot of experience now, as well with us.
"He proved last year to be capable of dealing and leading the entire team over the race weekend. So, I'm comfortable with the choice and comfortable not being at the race track sometimes."
Binotto confirmed during the launch that Ferrari would "not spend much time" developing the 2021 car, instead placing most of its focus on the new regulations that will arrive in 2022.
Previous article
Five things we learned from Ferrari's 2021 team launch
Next article
Liberty "not worried" by F1 balance sheet after recording loss
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Teams | Ferrari |
| Author | Luke Smith |
Albert Park Circuit Modifications Project
Mercedes-AMG F1 Team: Bahrain GP Race Debrief
The 'new' F1 drivers who need to improve at Imola
After a pandemic-hit winter of seat-swapping, F1 kicked off its season with several new faces in town, other drivers adapting to new environments, and one making a much-anticipated comeback. BEN ANDERSON looks at who made the most of their opportunity and who needs to try harder…
The delay that quashed Aston Martin’s last F1 venture
Aston Martin’s only previous foray into Formula 1 in the late 1950s was a short-lived and unsuccessful affair. But it could have been so different, says NIGEL ROEBUCK
Verstappen exclusive: Why lack of car-racing titles won't hurt Red Bull's ace
Max Verstappen’s star quality in Formula 1 is clear. Now equipped with a Red Bull car that is, right now, the world title favourite and the experience to support his talent, could 2021 be the Dutchman’s year to topple the dominant force of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes?
Are we at peak F1 right now?
For many, many years Formula 1 has strived to do and to be better on all fronts. With close competition, a growing fanbase, a stable political landscape and rules in place to encourage sustainability, 2021 is on course to provide an unexpected peak
How crucial marginal calls will decide the Red Bull vs Mercedes battle in F1 2021
The longer Red Bull can maintain a performance edge over Mercedes, the better the odds will be in the team’s favour against the defending world champions. But as the Bahrain Grand Prix showed, many more factors will be critical in the outcome of the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship
How Williams’ new structure adheres to a growing F1 trend
Williams held out against the tide for many years but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, the age of the owner-manager is long gone
When a journeyman driver's F1 career lasted just 800m
Nikita Mazepin’s Formula 1 debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix lasted mere corners before he wiped himself out in a shunt, but his financial backing affords him a full season. Back in 1993 though, Marco Apicella was an F1 driver for just 800m before a first corner fracas ended his career. Here’s the story of his very short time at motorsport’s pinnacle
The nightmare timing that now hinders Mercedes
Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton took victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix despite, for a change, not having the quickest car. But any hopes of developing its W12 to surpass Red Bull's RB16B in terms of outright speed could not have come at a worse time.
