Maurizio Arrivabene has been replaced as Ferrari Formula 1 team principal by former Technical Dir Mattia Binotto, according to Andrew Benson of the BBC. Arrivabene held the role for four years. A Ferrari statement said that the decision was made by "the company's top management after lengthy discussions." Binotto takes immediate charge and Ferrari said that "all technical areas will continue to report directly" to him. Ferrari failed to win either title in '18 "amid a series of driver and management errors." Arrivabene, 61, had been director of the team since Dec. '14, joining from main sponsor Philip Morris, where he was a VP. He was in charge of Ferrari "while the team enjoyed a revival in competitiveness in the last two seasons." But he was "widely seen within F1 as a Ferrari figurehead only," with the real power instead resting with former President Sergio Marchionne, who "masterminded a reshuffle of the technical department" in '16 but died from complications during surgery for cancer last July. Following Marchionne's death, there was "known to be a power struggle" between Arrivabene and Binotto. Binotto, 49, had been approached by other teams, and Ferrari Chair John Elkann decided that "continuing with Marchionne's plan was the best option" (BBC, 1/7).
