Ferrari signed a pre-agreement with Mattia Binotto's replacement long before his resignation was announced, it has been claimed.
After much speculation it was confirmed at the end of last month that the Italian will leave his role after four years in charge. While his departure was framed in the context of it being Binotto's decision, it is understood he felt he no longer had the full confidence of executive chairman John Elkann.
Just two weeks earlier, Ferrari had dismissed speculation that Binotto would be leaving by asserting the rumours were "totally without foundation". But, of course, it later became apparent that a change would indeed be made at the top after a year in which the team's title challenge faded badly.
