Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene has insisted that the Scuderia's technical director Mattia Binotto is not leaving the team. Some media have reported in recent weeks that Binotto is set to depart from Ferrari following the Maranello outfit's poor form in the second half of the season.
Sebastian Vettel saw his title challenge fall away and watched Lewis Hamilton pick up his fifth championship last time out in Mexico. Ferrari also had a number of upgrades fail on the car at various races, forcing them to take them before qualifying.
Binotto has been widely credited as the man behind Ferrari's revival following James Allision's departure to Mercedes. But despite Ferrari's current tough stint, Arrivabene insists that Binotto is staying put.
“Let's make it clear once and for all. The rumours about Mattia are a fake news, put around to create instability in the team, an attempt to try to create problems where there are no problems, and I do not want to comment on false rumors anymore.
“During this season there have been many attempts at destabilization, sometimes with stories about the drivers, others about the technicians. My position? Ask the managing director [Louis] Camilleri.”
Arrivabene added that he is not planning on bringing in new personnel for 2019: “No one has ever spoken of goodbyes, possibly we can talk about reinforcements,” he said. “But it takes time, we'll think about it next season. Today the team is there, and it's a good and compact team.
“If there are reinforcements they will arrive without any haste, I stress it, and [only] if we need to have them. The line is that of stability, if there are additions [they] will not undermine the soundness of the existing group. A team that works only needs reinforcements, not revolutions. Personally, I have never believed in revolutions, but in evolution.”
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