Mattia Binotto has confirmed that he will not be present at a further two races on the 2021 calendar as he continues to oversee work on Ferrari's 2022 car. It had been planned from an early stage of the season that Binotto would stay in Maranello during some rounds of the championship, and most recently the Team Principal was not in attendance at the Turkish Grand Prix. This has allowed Binotto to supervise the 2022 preparations, which are now at a "critical" stage ahead of a raft of new regulations being introduced into the sport. "This was one of the races I was targeting to be back home," Binotto told select media, including RacingNews365.com , in a video conference from Maranello following the race in Istanbul. "Obviously, the calendar has changed quite a lot since the very start, so I changed also plans, but certainly Turkey was one of these ones. "I will skip at least another two races before the end of the season. At the moment, I'm planning Mexico and Brazil. But obviously let's see. "The reason is, as you may imagine, especially Mexico and Brazil overseas, it's a long trip. While here back in Maranello there is a lot to do, really much to do. "It's an entire team to manage, both the chassis and power unit and the entire organisation. We are, in terms of 2022 development, certainly in a critical phase, where time is getting closer and closer. "I'm happy to be here. From the way I'm managing the race weekends, certainly on Thursday and Friday being in the office, I can certainly be more focused on whatever is happening back here in Maranello, while Saturday and Sunday is fully dedicated to the race weekend." Laurent Mekies, Sporting Director, has taken charge of running the team trackside during Binotto's absence, and Binotto is satisfied with how this is being handled. "Certainly I'm missing the networks in the paddock but Laurent Mekies can do a great job, and I'm very happy [with] the way he's managing the entire team when I'm not there," the Italian explained. Binotto also joked: "I've been told that as well the flight to Istanbul was a lot bumpy, so I'm very happy to skip it!"
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