Former Ferrari F1 Team Principal and current Sauber Chief Operations and Technical Officer Mattia Binotto shared his thoughts on the state of Ferrari and Hamilton’s signing on an interview with Italian magazine AutoMoto.
Ferrari
With Ferrari’s stagnating form on top, many are questioning if Ferrari will be able to pull through and build a car that can fight for wins this year. Binotto, on the contrary says that his former team can be able to work out of it and achieve better results this year.
“Maybe from the outside one shouldn’t judge. It’s clear that the performances on track and the results aren’t delighting at the moment. But I know very well every single member of that team and I know they are good, strong and capable.
“They will manage to upgrade the car and do well in the future. And I believe Ferrari can achieve some satisfying results this year.”
Binotto is unconvinced Ferrari signing Lewis Hamilton for 2025 and into the future was the best idea. He considered his age to be a key factor, stating that it would’ve been ideal if he was signed a few years earlier when the British driver was the benchmark in Formula 1.
“Hamilton has a certain age. Ferrari got him when he was already at the end of his career. It would have been ideal to be able to have him a few years earlier.“
Sauber
Speaking on his team, Binotto praised both Nico Hülkenberg and F1 newcomer Gabriel Bortoleto. He praised key aspects on why they work well together.
“Nico [Hulkenberg] is a fast driver with a lot of experience. He makes few mistakes and he is also a very sunny person with whom it’s easy to work with. He is a team player and he gets along well with Gabriel [Bortoleto], which is the most important thing.
“Gabriel, on the other hand, is very different. He is a very young guy, with a lot of potential and a lot to learn. I must say he is incredibly dedicated. He isn’t only focused on the present, but also on the future.”
Verstappen
Asked about who would he sign in the near future, he said that in the short term, Red Bull F1 driver Max Verstappen is still the best in the grid.
Nonetheless he is happy with his current line-up, and believes that Bortoleto will become a champion in the future. He spared no expense at praising verstappen and believes he can challenge McLaren and still fight for the Drivers’ Championship this year.
“In this timeframe [on the medium term] I don’t know. In the short term the best driver around remains Max [Verstappen]. I think everyone would want to sign Verstappen, but I’m happy with our two drivers.
“With Gabriel [Bortoleto] and Nico [Hülkenberg] we have the right mix and the right potential for the future. I think Gabriel has the numbers to become World Champion in the future.
“[Verstappen] can put up a real challenge to McLaren. After all, the 2025 season is still very long. There could be further developments, but the win in Imola shows that he has the potential to fight for the championship.”
Co-author: Marika Petracca
