Rumor: Binotto tipped to return to F1 with Alpine (4th Update)

Netflix Drive to Survive crews filming Mattia Binotto’s entrance in the Monza paddock, adding more fuel to the fire that he is going to the Alpine Team.

(GMM) Rumors suggesting former Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto is set to return to Formula 1 as Alpine’s new team principal appear to be true.

That is the claim of French media sources including L’Auto Journal, as well as the respected Italian journalist Leo Turrini.

L’Auto Journal said Italian Binotto, replaced at Ferrari this year by Frederic Vasseur, has received an offer from majority Alpine co-owner Renault’s CEO Luca de Meo.

53-year-old Binotto was even spotted at the Belgian GP recently, and he then stayed on-site for the subsequent Pirelli tire test.

“In France, they’re saying Binotto has already reached an agreement with Alpine,” Turrini wrote in his Quotidiano Nazionale column.

“I’m writing about it because it does not surprise me. There is no doubt that he is smart.

“If in Luca de Meo he finds a mentor, and he learns to listen to others, he is able to achieve great success,” Turrini added.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

This rumor is upgraded to ‘strong’ today.

Alpine have now officially sacked Otmar Szafnauer and Alan Permane, Pat Fry has resigned to go to Williams, and Laurent Rossi has been moved aside to other non-F1 duties.

Call it a cleaning of the entire Alpine F1 house.

How long before Mattia Binotto is confirmed as the new F1 boss?

Alpine in the last 18 months:

👉 Budkowski fired
👉 Prost leaves the team
👉 Szafnauer joins
👉 Piastri leaves for McLaren
👉 Alonso leaves for Aston
👉 Rossi loses CEO title
👉 Szafnauer fired
👉 Permane fired
👉 Pat Fry leaves for Williams

The Mattia Binotto to the Audi F1 team rumors have died down, and a new rumor placing Binotto at Alpine has emerged.

Binotto was on gardening leave from Ferrari and as Joe Saward points out in his latest Green Notebook, it was probably significant that six months and a week after he left Maranello, he popped up at the British GP, not saying why he was there…

Saward writes, “Running Alpine’s F1 program seems like a good idea on paper. He is one very few racing executives who has overseen both chassis and engine divisions at the same time, even if his success was limited at Ferrari and there were some controversial moments in 2019 relating to fuel-flow activities.

“If anyone knows how to get Enstone and Viry Chatillon singing from the same song sheet, it might be Binotto.

“Or, at least, one can understand why Renault boss Luca de Meo might see it that way.

“Viry-Chatillon and Enstone have worked together in the past when under Italian management, on the basis that a neutral leader is not favoring one side or the other. We will see if this happens, but that was the rumor in Budapest.”

(GMM) Well-known Italian journalist Leo Turrini thinks sacked Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto could re-emerge as Audi’s new Formula 1 boss.

Last week, Red Bull boss Christian Horner said he has “sympathy” for Binotto’s situation as he did a “good job” in charge of the Maranello team.

However, both Horner and his Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff played down any speculation the long-time 53-year-old Ferrari engineer could now switch to one of their respective teams.

Turrini told the Pit Talk podcast: “I’m sure that Binotto will be able to stay in Formula 1 after the gardening period.

“I am absolutely certain that he has had a proposal from Audi to lead the team that will be on the grid in the near future,” he added.

Binotto was replaced by Alfa Romeo boss Frederic Vasseur, ahead of the end of Sauber’s naming deal with Alfa Romeo later this year and the transition to the majority Audi takeover.

Italian media sources believe Binotto will be on ‘gardening leave’ for at least 6-12 months.