Why Ferrari should stick with Binotto

We are always told from a young age not to make judgements on appearance alone. However...

Take a quick look at Ferrari's new man in charge, and spend just a few moments in his company, and the extent of the change at the top of the famous Formula 1 team snaps into focus. The scowl has given way to a smile. The slicked-back hair replaced by a curly mess. Quiet self-deprecation reigns where condescension once held sway.

The good news for Ferrari, its legion of fans and Formula 1 is that Mattia Binotto's ascension to the team principal role in place of Maurizio Arrivabene represents more than just the latest rotation of the revolving door.

There is substance beneath the positive change on the surface.

This change has been sorely needed. For the past two seasons the brains at Maranello have produced a car capable of beating Mercedes, yet the silver cars remain the undefeated champions of the V6 turbo-hybrid era.

Lewis Hamilton's charge to five world titles has been an undeniably brilliant sporting achievement, but five consecutive Mercedes title doubles is not a particularly sexy sell for F1. Ferrari desperately needs to end its title drought. Formula 1 probably needs it just as much.

Prior to Mercedes' domination, F1 suffered at the hands of the all-conquering Red Bull-Sebastian Vettel partnership.

While Red Bull's prowess at designing a top-drawer chassis remains sharp, it is rebuilding with its new engine partner Honda after finally giving up on Renault. As McLaren has slumped deep into midfield, and is without a win since the 2012 season finale, that leaves Ferrari as the only credible challenger to Mercedes.

Perhaps it's wrong to assume, but one cannot help but think F1 chiefs Chase Carey, Ross Brawn and Sean Bratches were quite pleased with the news that broke in early January this year.

Ferrari's decision to swap out the man at the top, prompted by the ugly and unedifying spectacle of the team self-destructing in the second half of the 2018 season, may prove to be the catalyst for the fully fledged title assault Ferrari could not quite muster under Arrivabene.

Was the change necessary? Unquestionably. Plucked from Ferrari title sponsor Philip Morris International, Arrivabene was not universally loved in the F1 paddock.

One could argue he enjoyed a relatively successful stint in charge. Ferrari returned to being a regular race winner on his watch, after all. But winning a championship presents a different and more demanding order of complexity, especially against opposition as well-drilled as Mercedes.

It was here, as the pressure built, that the shortcomings of Ferrari's management paraded themselves for the world to see. Too often the team's strategy amounted to little more than: load gun, point at foot, pull trigger.

In 2018 alone one could point to several examples. Without the needless dithering around implementing team orders in Germany, Sebastian Vettel wouldn't have seen his advantage needlessly eroded and might not have slithered off the road in tough conditions later on.

In Italy, had Ferrari been tougher on Kimi Räikkönen, its two drivers would never have fought so hard into the first two chicanes - Vettel would never have plummeted to the back and Lewis Hamilton might not have stolen a victory at a race where Ferrari had locked out the front row.

In Japan, Ferrari's frankly stupid decision to send its drivers out on intermediate tyres on a dry track in qualifying, trying to pre-empt the weather and taking a risk that wasn't needed, smacked of desperation and put Vettel on the back foot.

Ferrari has turned to one of its own to fix such ills, and Binotto has swiftly eliminated the air of misery that seemed to dog the team as last year's title bid turned to rubble.

With a fresh approach to internal and external communication and a deep personal connection with the F1 team, he has been the perfect antidote to the miasma of negativity - and often outright hostility - that prevailed under his predecessor.

"For several years we've been working all together, trying to improve step by step, season by season," said Binotto at the beginning of the year.

"The philosophy for next season certainly is try to enjoy. That's something that we were maybe missing in the past. Certainly, we are enjoying winning but I think you can simply enjoy it by trying to be team-mates, something which we are trying to consolidate."

Binotto has risen through the ranks at Ferrari, where he has worked for almost a quarter of a century. His progress has been methodical. He started out in the test team in 1995, before moving to the race team two years later. By 2007 he was chief engineer of race and assembly, then the engine and KERS head in 2009.

Ferrari had already misjudged the new-for-2014 engine rules by the time Binotto was made deputy director of engine and electronics in late 2013, but he played a key role in the recovery from the awful '14 season.

Team principal Stefano Domenicali had left. Engine chief Luca Marmorini had left. President Luca di Montezemolo was being ushered towards the door. Binotto stayed, moved into the chief operating officer role on the engine side, and played a vital role in Ferrari turning around its pitiful engine programme.

It won races in 2015, and as the team's performance slumped in '16, another blow: technical director James Allison left. Binotto was the man management turned to again.

This time he was made chief technical officer, and the result was the production of a car and engine package that - in 2017 and '18 - gave Mercedes its sternest fights of the V6 hybrid era.

That Binotto established himself as the go-to guy for the late Sergio Marchionne means it was little surprise that he emerged as the most likely successor to Arrivabene. He is a studious problem-solver rather than a table-thumper.

Marchionne tasked him with reshaping the technical department to unleash more creativity, and he delivered that by encouraging and empowering individuals - a massive change in an organisation previously ruled by fear, and where ideas were stifled for fear of the blame that might attach to failures.

Assuming the team principal role in January would usually mean the new man in charge would need time to start to make a meaningful impact, but because Binotto is a promotion from within, and a person whose approach has already proved successful, he is pushing against the proverbial open door.

Binotto is a happy, friendly character who exudes a genuine, positive vibe. The intelligence of the man is exemplified by his assistance in designing the layout of the building that houses Gestione Sportiva, Ferrari's racing division, as well as his technical input into turning Ferrari into a regular race winner.

There is substance behind the smile, as well as steel. He has made it very clear that he is willing to take tough decisions previous Ferrari bosses have dithered over, including the early declaration that while Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc are free to race, Vettel is the initial focal point for the championship.

That message is logical and zero-bullshit, exactly the sort of thing Ferrari needs at the top.

These are key factors that have held Ferrari back from taking the final step to becoming title winners again. While Arrivabene spoke of Ferrari's 'fear of winning', he never explained how he would fix that. Binotto is finally doing what the team always needed: changing the inputs to get a different output.

Binotto wants his team to push hard with developments, to not be afraid to trial something risky or different. That has been hard for Ferrari to fully embrace because there is a long-standing culture of fear and blame. Push too far and make a mistake, and you get punished. Being conservative eliminates that risk, and the dread, and makes life easier - but less successful.

"I'm lucky to have a great team and my role is simply to put everybody in the best position to deliver," says Binotto. "I'm taking care that each single person has got the right situation, can deliver well, and that's what I need to do. Delivering well means to be in the right atmosphere, clarity of roles. That's the best way to approach this. Will that be important during the season? Let's wait and see. I'm sure that if you are working properly, you achieve your best."

Another, vital element will be getting the most out of Vettel, who clearly struggled under Arrivabene. Top-tier athletes are human. Being paid astronomical sums does not eliminate the emotional factor from their performances. The indications are Vettel is a more centred individual in this new Ferrari era.

Cast your mind back to day one of pre-season testing, and the shockingly positive vibes that Vettel was throwing out at every possible angle.

Either he was orchestrating an outrageous bluff or Ferrari's new broom had swept any lingering negativity out of the corridors of Maranello.

Vettel is one of the most emotional F1 drivers on the grid, so it's not hard to tell when he's happy. He was as buzzing as you're ever likely to see a top-line driver on day one of testing.

When Ferrari faltered in Australia, with a car that finished off the podium and almost a minute behind the dominant Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas, Vettel was still smiling. Frustrated, but positive. He talked about knowing this was not the real potential of the SF90, and of the confidence of a swift fightback.

That narrative has not changed with subsequent setbacks either. Australia was a horrible false start for Ferrari but the upswing was slow to arrive. In fact, Binotto probably could not have imagined experiencing a worse run of races.

Melbourne was sobering. Bahrain was heartbreaking. China was disappointing. Azerbaijan was the nadir, thanks to a sickening mix of those three. A return to Spain brought yet more disappointment. Ferrari should have claimed at least three of the first five race wins on offer, while Mercedes managed to rewrite F1 history and secure a quintet of one-two finishes.

Team orders have also dogged the early races as every single Ferrari decision over Vettel and Leclerc has been in the spotlight.

Questions over that have provoked testy reactions, but Vettel has retained an unlikely calm in the face of mounting frustration.

"We need stronger pace, simple as that," Vettel says of catching Mercedes. "We need to be faster. I'm convinced we're looking very strong but overall not strong enough.

"It seems that for us it's more of a conscious effort to get the car in the right window, whereas maybe for them it seems to click a little bit easier. I can feel that I'm not driving at my 
best because simply the car does not answer or does not respond the way I like. And then I 
think it's unnatural.

"I seem to be more sensitive at the first races than at the test. The test was really good but that's a long time ago now. We need to look forward and improve the way we handle things, the way we work to just get faster. That's it."

Last year, in pressure points like this, Vettel and Ferrari folded. But the team is revitalised from the cultural shift Binotto has triggered. As shown by his phenomenal Red Bull success, Vettel thrives in an environment where he is loved. This is the kind of environment Binotto is trying to foster for the rest of his staff: reduce the pressure, let them flourish.

If Binotto's new culture can bring the best out of Vettel - and don't forget, that level is very high - then Ferrari can enjoy the confidence of a driver who will go the distance in the title battle.

"Obviously there have been some changes," says Vettel. "Of course we will be focused trying to do our job as good as we can. I think there's a lot of passion inside this team that's willing to get out, and expressing ourselves through winning is the best we can do.

"So, that's the target but there's so many races, such a long way, so many things we're depending on. As much as we can control things, we will try to take them in our hand and get our job done. The atmosphere is good; the spirit is right inside the team."

One key change at the top can have the same effect as dozens underneath. When there's a toxic culture at the head of a company, that will trickle down to everybody below. If ingenuity, creativity, appreciation and risk-taking are encouraged and praised then that will filter through as well.

It's too simplistic to say Ferrari was one kind of place under Arrivabene and has swung rapidly to the other under Binotto. However, it is clearly a team in transition.

One could even say there are echoes of the environment Toto Wolff has built at Mercedes, which has won every title going since 2014. Having a leader in Wolff, who facilitates a working environment that blends fierce professionalism with human compassion, has been a crucial part of that success. It's no coincidence that Binotto is now the fourth Ferrari boss Wolff has gone up against during 
his all-conquering reign...

If one believed everything spoken or written, Wolff could be going up against his fifth different Ferrari adversary soon if Binotto doesn't turn things around. The danger here is that Ferrari might fall into the same trap as it did in 2016, when it followed up its season of progress with 
a step in the wrong direction.

However, this is a very different situation. Such haste would be rash and mark bad news for Ferrari and F1. Had tiny things gone slightly differently this season, the picture might be more balanced. Leclerc should have won from pole in Bahrain but Ferrari was let down by an unprecedented short circuit within an injection system control unit. Two races later, Leclerc crashed out of qualifying in Baku, where he was clearly the fastest driver, and Vettel wasn't in a position to pick up the pieces.

"No doubt they [Mercedes] are very strong, and certainly they've got a slightly better car," Binotto said after Baku. "But I think that the gap is not so big, and the points and the results are not reflecting the true potential of the cars."

Binotto seems a man of genuine character and integrity and this is something that, if given time and respect, should reward Ferrari. The competition at the front of the F1 grid is tougher than ever, with Mercedes redoubling its efforts to remain on top and Red Bull keen to re-establish itself as a title challenger with Honda, and looking increasingly threatening as the season continues.

That, combined with a poor start, makes Ferrari's task of ending its title drought harder than ever. However, the team and F1 should have faith that Ferrari has a leader who looks like he might be the missing piece of the puzzle.

Ferrari has looked so close to being able to beat Mercedes for two seasons now. The team is at pains to point out that it remains the same personnel-wise as it was before, which means it's just the man in the hot seat who is different. And if the right change at the top is what Ferrari needed to take that final step, it could not have picked a better option than Binotto.

Ferrari and F1 are impatient for a proper title attack from Maranello. But anybody readying themselves to write Binotto's career obituary already would do well to remember that his Ferrari reign was always likely to be defined by how the team responded to challenges, not how it operated at its peak.