Ferrari bosses have emphatically backed team principal Fred Vasseur after Christian Horner admitted that he would be interested in joining the Italian team. Vasseur has been in charge of the Formula 1 giants since 2023 and leads the team of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
Horner's 'dream' admission
In a recent interview, Horner described joining Ferrari as a 'dream' with the ex-Red Bull boss out of work. Horner was sacked in 2025 after 20 years in charge at Red Bull and has been persistently linked with a return to the sport.
Horner's comments have sparked speculation about Vasseur's position as Ferrari sit second in the constructors' championship, 160 points behind Mercedes. Hamilton and Leclerc sit in third and fifth, respectively, in the race for the world championship title.
Ferrari's clear message
Ferrari have moved to shut down any doubts over Vasseur's position. The Frenchman signed a 'multi-year contract' in July 2024. Chief communication officer Maria Conti delivered the message, saying she was speaking on behalf of chairman John Elkann and chief executive officer Benedetto Vigna.
"Ferrari's position is clear," Conti said. "It will not change. I am officially saying - I don't have John here with me, but Ferrari has made its choice. There is confidence in Fred and his team. Nothing has changed."
Vasseur's response
Vasseur was asked about Horner's comments following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Ferrari chief admitted the team was not working perfectly at the moment and conceded the future was not in his hands. He did suggest that Horner was simply looking for a job, however.
"We are not working in the perfect serenity," Vasseur said in Baku. "For me, first, but for everybody in the team, for the media, for 50% of the questions [to be] about this, it's a bit of a frustrating situation.
"We are fighting for P2 in the championship, and at the end of the day we are all speaking a lot about this, and even for the guys in the garage, to discuss about this, it's the best discussion that we can have."
"But it is what it is - it's not in my hands. Mr Horner is looking for a job - that everybody knows - everywhere. But what can I do? Just try to do my best to push the team, to rise them to be motivated."
Horner had suggested that he would want an ownership stake to return to Formula 1, but accepted that he would waive that for one team. "At this stage in my life, there's only one team for which I would accept non-participation in ownership," he said.
"Would I consider Ferrari?" he added. "I mean, Ferrari is the biggest brand in Formula 1. It's the dream. And arguably it's the sleeping giant of Formula 1."
