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Ferrari's Vasseur Criticizes Horner's Comments as Distraction
Confirmed
In Short: Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has criticized Christian Horner's comments about Ferrari as a distraction, following Horner's recent interview with The Times.
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has criticized Christian Horner's comments about Ferrari as a distraction, following Horner's recent interview with The Times.
Vasseur expressed his frustration with Horner's remarks during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and sixth, respectively.
Horner, who was dismissed as Red Bull team principal in July 2025, said in his interview that Ferrari is the only Formula 1 team he would work for without being given a shareholding, describing it as 'the dream.
Vasseur was asked if he was joking about Horner, and replied, 'I was very serious.' When asked if he would consider working with Horner, Vasseur said, 'This you have to ask my assistant,' a reference to the circumstances surrounding Horner's departure from Red Bull.
Horner was fired from his role as chief executive officer and team principal by Red Bull after the 2025 British Grand Prix, with Red Bull never giving a public explanation for his dismissal.
Vasseur took control of Ferrari at the start of 2023 and signed a multi-year contract extension last season understood to run until at least the end of 2027.
Questions surrounding Vasseur’s position intensified during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend following comments from Horner, which have added another layer to the scrutiny surrounding Vasseur amid a difficult period for Ferrari.
Ferrari sits second in the constructors’ championship but remains well adrift of Mercedes, with Hamilton and Leclerc having only one win each in 2026.
Despite the challenges, Vasseur reiterated his commitment to the team when asked whether he remained fully invested in continuing at Maranello.
Vasseur acknowledged that Horner's availability was inevitably fuelling discussion around possible vacancies, adding another layer of scrutiny to his position.
Ferrari entered the season aiming to be a championship threat after the introduction of new engine rules in F1, but has not won a world championship since 2008 and has rarely had a fully competitive car since then.
What this adds
Horner was accused of sexual harassment and coercive, controlling behavior by a female employee.
Ferrari's performance has been criticized over elements of its race-weekend execution as the campaign has progressed.
Vasseur's comments indicate the pressure he faces from ongoing speculation about his future and the team's leadership plans.
What's confirmed
- Horner's remarks about Ferrari have been a distraction, Vasseur (right) says Christian Horner is proving a distraction for Ferrari by "looking for a job", team principal Frederic Vasseur says.
- Horner said in his interview: "Would I consider Ferrari. I mean, Ferrari is the biggest brand in Formula 1. It's the dream. And arguably it's the sleeping giant of Formula 1." 'Mr Saturday' Russell 'comes through other side after real tough period' Russell faultless and Hadjar excellent on return - driver ratings Listen to Back at Base on BBC Sounds England thrash Sri Lanka by 223 runs to win ODI series - reaction Nations League: Wales under way in key Denmark game Why Premier League faces uncertainty and chaos after Man City ruling Peek if you dare: Lenny Rush stars in a brand-new supernatural comedy A 2008 adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel Was Colin Norris wrongly convicted of killing his patients?
- Horner, dismissed as Red Bull team principal in July 2025, used an interview with the Times this week to say that Ferrari are the only Formula 1 team he would work for without being given a shareholding, describing it as "the dream", external.
- Vasseur outlined his frustration with Horner following Saturday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix - at which Charles Leclerc finished fourth and his Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton was sixth.
- Mr Horner is looking for a job - that everybody knows - everywhere.
What's still developing
- Horner was accused of sexual harassment and coercive, controlling behaviour by a female employee.
- Despite that deal, his position has again become a subject of speculation during a season in which Ferrari has failed to sustain a serious championship challenge after showing promise earlier in the year.
- Hamilton and Leclerc have one win apiece in 2026, while Ferrari has also faced criticism over elements of its race-weekend execution as the campaign has progressed.
- ‘It’s the dream’: Horner opens door to F1 return with Ferrari Our Team / Advertise with us / Comments Policy / Privacy Policy / Privacy Manager Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.
- Vasseur took over from Mattia Binotto at the helm of the Ferrari squad in 2023, but - like under his predecessor - Ferrari still has not been able to break through into genuine F1 title contention.
- In 2026, a potential grid-best chassis has been neutered by a power unit deficit, which Vasseur again accentuated as the primary factor in his team's cars finishing fourth and sixth this weekend in Baku.
- The race took place against the backdrop of a recent interview with The Times by ex-Red Bull boss Christian Horner, in which Horner claimed that, in terms of running an F1 team again, there was "only one team for which I would accept non-participation in ownership".
- When asked by The Race after the Azerbaijan GP about the noise surrounding his own future and Ferrari's F1 team leadership plans, Vasseur briefly pivoted from his usual jokey-and-deflective tone to make it clear he doesn't appreciate the situation.