Ferrari have dismissed reports that team principal Mattia Binotto is on the brink of being sacked as being "totally without foundation" as the Italian giants prepare for the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
The Team Principal has found himself under mounting pressure amid the Scuderia's faltering campaign, despite a storming start which saw Charles Leclerc win two of the opening three races. The pace of the Monegasque man and teammate Carlos Sainz had fans and pundits tipping Ferrari to seal a first drivers' title since Kimi Raikkonen's triumph in 2007.
But while both drivers appear to have lost pace compared to their rivals at Red Bull and Mercedes, a series of tactical blunders have also cost them dear. And tensions appeared to boil over at the Brazilian Grand Prix when Leclerc had his request to overtake Sainz, and boost his chances to finish second in the Championship, rejected by the team.
Leclerc now finds himself joint second with Sergio Perez in the standings with Spaniard Sainz down in sixth. And Ferrari are also in danger of losing second spot in the Constructors' race, heading into the Yas Marina just 19 points ahead of the Silver Arrows.
The loss of form has heaped scrutiny on the future of Binotto, 53, and La Gazzetta dello Sport have claimed that Ferrari chief executive John Elkann is set to replace him. Alfa Romeo's Frederic Vasseur is the man reportedly being lined up as a replacement.
However, the team have strongly denying the claims. In a released statement, they said: "In relation to speculation in certain media regarding Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto's position, Ferrari states that these rumours are totally without foundation."
Binotto has a 27-year association with Ferrari, having joined the engine department in 1995. He became head of the department in 2013 and then chief technical officer three years later.
In 2019, he replaced Maurizio Arrivabene as Team Principal. But an underwhelming 2020 season followed, with a sixth-placed Constructors' finish representing the team's worst effort since 1980.
The overhaul of F1 rules had seemingly brought them back into the title picture this time around, but Binotto has recently claimed the stringent budget cap rules halted them developing the cars as the season progressed. Indeed, the Swiss-born boss was recently vociferously critical when it emerged Red Bull has breached the cap in the 2021 campaign.
