Mattia Binotto, the man who decided that Sebastian Vettel was surplus to requirements at Ferrari, has wished their soon to depart driver all the best and believes the four-time World Champion remaining in Formula 1 with “Aston Martin or Racing Point or whatever” is good for the sport.
Once Seb was shown the door at Maranello, it did not take long for Lawrence Stroll to figure out the German would be the ideal driver to spearhead his Racing Point soon-to-be Aston Martin effort in 2021. It made sense on all fronts.
Thus ousting Sergio Perez and welcoming the 53-times Grand Prix winner dominated headlines in the build-up to this weekend’s Tuscan Grand Prix.
Ferrari, particularly, Binotto took flak from several fronts for the manner in which Vettel was treated as well as the speed and manner in which Seb was sent packing, before the revolving door did a lap, Carlos Sainz was confirmed as teammate to Charles Leclerc.
On Friday, during the FIA hosted press conference, Binotto was asked about his thoughts on the developments that broke-cover this week, he replied, “As far as my thoughts, I think it is not a surprise.
“We are very happy for that conclusion. I think the fact that we told him very early in the season our decision for next year was really to give him all the chances to find a seat for 2021, so finally very happy for him as a person.
“As a driver, I think it’s great for Formula 1 that’s Seb’s still part of the line-ups next year because he’s still a four-time World Champion and I think he’s a fantastic driver.
“Will he do well in Aston Martin or Racing Point or whatever it is? I think yes, I hope he’s doing well, certainly. I think we can challenge him next year and hopefully, we’ll be simply ahead,” said the Ferrari team boss.