Baku, January 8, AZERTAC A major shake-up at Ferrari was expected after initial reports in Italy of a management restructure emerged on Monday, and the Scuderia have now confirmed Maurizio Arrivabene has been replaced as Team Principal by Mattia Binotto, who steps up from his role as Technical Director, according to the official website of Formula 1.The Prancing Horse have opted to make the change after a tough 2018 campaign, which saw them fail to win either title despite a promising start to the season, with Mercedes securing a fifth successive double world championship.A Ferrari statement said: "After four years of untiring commitment and dedication, Maurizio Arrivabene is leaving the team. The decision was taken together with the company’s top management after lengthy discussions related to Maurizio’s long term personal interests as well as those of the team itself."Ferrari would like to thank Maurizio for his valuable contribution to the team’s increasing competiveness over the past few years, and wish him the best for his future endeavours."With immediate effect, Mattia Binotto will take over as Scuderia Ferrari’s Team Principal. All technical areas will continue to report directly to Mattia."It is understood there were tensions between Arrivabene - who had been chief of the iconic team since December 2014 - and Binotto last season, with the former under increasing pressure amid a string of team errors over the course of 2018.The chances of a leadership change increased when John Elkann took over as Ferrari president midway through last term, following Sergio Marchionne’s death, and the change was confirmed on Monday, with Binotto now tasked with leading Ferrari’s quest to return to their heydays.Binotto has risen through the Ferrari ranks over the last two decades with many crediting the Italian team’s power unit gains to him, after he took over as power unit Chief Operating Officer ahead of 2015.