Toto Wolff has ruled out the possibility of ex-Ferrari Formula One team principal Mattia Binotto joining Mercedes in the future, stating that "too much porcelain has been broken between us."
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Wolff and Binotto clashed on a number of issues while leading their respective teams over the past four seasons, particularly in 2019, amid concerns about Ferrari’s power unit’s legality. Last week, Ferrari revealed that Binotto had resigned from his position and will leave Maranello at the end of the month, capping off a 28-year career with the Scuderia. The revelation has left one of F1’s most high-profile positions unfilled, with Ferrari stating that a replacement would be finalised in the new year. Mercedes team principal Wolff remarked on F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast that he and Binotto had “our moments” in recent years, but that they had been “solidified” through 2022.
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“We were in a much better place,” Wolff remarked. “However, it was always evident that he was under a lot of pressure.” You had better have a good contract for your exit as a team principal at Ferrari. “Now, the unavoidable happened, but he hung on to it longer than I expected.” Binotto was Ferrari’s F1 team principal as well as its technical chief after taking over in 2016. Prior to that, he was in charge of Ferrari’s engine division, which gave him one of the most extensive CVs in the paddock.
When asked if Binotto’s experience and pedigree would ever pique Wolff’s interest in working at Mercedes, possibly overseeing its High Performance Powertrains division, Wolff dismissed the possibility. “No, I don’t think there was enough porcelain broken between us in the last two years for this to be conceivable,” Wolff stated. “I can’t speak for the other teams.” But Mattia knows Formula One well and out, and he might find a job in another team.”
