Ferrari confirm team boss Binotto's absence in Turkey

Ferrari has confirmed that team boss Mattia Binotto will oversee the Scuderia's operations in Istanbul this weekend from its base in Maranello.

At Imola two weeks ago, Binotto alluded to the likelihood of him skipping the Turkey GP as Ferrari switches its focus to its 2021 program.

Ahead of this weekend's round at Istanbul Park, Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies - who will be in charge of the Scuderia in Turkey - confirmed Binotto's absence.

"Mattia has always approached his role in an innovative way, trying to think outside the box," Mekies said.

"He has come up with a method of working that gives the flexibility to manage the priorities in the most efficient way possible: he had already adopted this approach when he was technical director and has applied it even more so now as team principal.

"At first it might seem strange not to see him physically in the briefings or on the pit wall, but he will make use of all the current communication technologies so that his voice and input will be loud and clear to everyone, both inside and outside the team."

• Read also: Binotto: As a season, 2020 will remain an 'exception'

Ferrari is targeting a turnaround of its fortunes in 2021 after enduring its worst campaign in many years. At Imola, Binotto said the Italian outfit's efforts would lead to staff rotation in the future, a plan that includes himself.

"You need always to balance your tasks at the racetrack and at the factory, still the factory is important where we are developing the car, preparing the cars," he said.

"I think I will not follow all the races, even in 2020 I am already considering eventually skipping some of the racing in the last part of the season starting from Turkey.

"Because at the end, when you’re responsible for an entire team, certainly the race event is important, but the entire… management of the entire team is even more important.

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