The former Ferrari team principal, Mattia Binotto, is reportedly being considered to return to Formula 1 with Aston Martin in a new technical role. Binotto has not been actively involved in F1 since his resignation from Ferrari in November 2022, although he has made appearances in various paddocks since then. He had a long tenure with the Maranello-based team, starting in 1995 and eventually becoming Chief Technical Officer in 2016 before taking over as team principal in 2019. However, under Binotto’s leadership, Ferrari experienced a decline, finishing sixth in 2021 and failing to secure any victories. Despite a promising start in 2022, the team could not maintain its performance and ended up far behind Red Bull. Binotto stepped down, and Ferrari has since recovered under Frederic Vasseur. However, according to Motorsport Total, Binotto is reportedly in talks with Aston Martin to potentially join the technical team. Owner Lawrence Stroll is said to be unhappy with Aston Martin’s slow start to the season and wants to strengthen their technical department. The team had a strong start in the previous season but faced difficulties as the year progressed, finishing fifth in the Constructors’ Championship. This season, they have remained in the same position and shown signs of regression in the last few races, scoring only two points in the last two events. Fernando Alonso, one of the team’s drivers, expressed concerns about Aston Martin’s performance, especially after being eliminated in Q1 in Monaco.
“Clearly it’s not ideal, the current state, we seem to be regressing to the middle of the pack instead of focusing on the leaders.
“But these circumstances can change quickly, we have witnessed numerous times how things can turn around rapidly.
“A significant improvement in the car and we can move up five or six positions, that is our goal for the next race and we are working diligently to achieve that goal.”
Stroll Sr. has aspirations to elevate Aston Martin to championship contender and has invested in a state-of-the-art headquarters in Silverstone, which was inaugurated last summer.
The wealthy Canadian has also hired several prominent engineers – including former Red Bull designer Dan Fallows – and may now be eyeing Binotto.
There are rumors circulating that Aston Martin has proposed to Binotto that he join as Chief Technical Officer to oversee the team’s technical department.
Fallows would continue to be responsible for the car design, while Binotto would focus on establishing the technical framework.
In addition, the former Ferrari boss would collaborate on overall strategy with Martin Whitmarsh of Aston Martin Performance Technologies, who joined the team in 2021.
There have also been ongoing speculations that Aston Martin has made an official approach to Ferrari’s Technical Director Enrico Cardile regarding a possible move.
