Image: Geert Vanden Wijngaert / AP
At the end of the year, Mattia Binotto will step down from his role as Ferrari team principal.
The 53-year-old resigned from his position, according to a statement released by Ferrari on Tuesday, adding the search for a replacement was “underway”.
Binotto, who has been with Ferrari since 1995, said: “With the regret that this entails, I have decided to conclude my collaboration with Ferrari.
“It is right to take this step, as hard as this decision has been for me.”
Binotto climbed the ranks of the organization, first overseeing the engine division, then serving as the technical director for the entire F1 team, and then becoming the lead.
He departs at the conclusion of a season in which Ferrari returned to winning races, but which was also characterized by numerous operational and reliability issues.
Binotto said: “I am leaving a company that I love, which I have been part of for 28 years, with the serenity that comes from the conviction that I have made every effort to achieve the objectives set.
“I leave a united and growing team. A strong team, ready, I’m sure, to achieve the highest goals, to which I wish all the best for the future.”
Ferrari chief executive officer Benedetto Vigna thanked Binotto and wished him well, adding that his work meant the team were “in a strong position to renew our challenge, above all for our amazing fans around the world, to win the ultimate prize in motorsport”.
Binotto’s successor is expected to be Frederic Vasseur, team principal of Alfa Romeo.