Christian Horner is proving to be a serious headache for Ferrari, with team principal Frederic Vasseur flat out calling him a “distraction.”
“Job Hunting” Distractions and the Ferrari Fight
Christian Horner, dismissed as Red Bull team principal in July 2025, dropped a bombshell in an interview with The Times this week. He said Ferrari is the *only* Formula 1 team he’d ever work for without demanding a shareholding, even calling it “the dream.” Vasseur did not hide his frustration following Saturday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where Charles Leclerc took fourth and his Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton grabbed sixth. He said straight up: “We are not working in the perfect serenity.” The dude’s mad that “50% of the questions” from the media are about Horner’s comments, pulling focus from their fight for P3 in the championship. “Mr Horner is looking for a job – that everybody knows – everywhere,” Vasseur pointed out. What’s a team principal to do but “try to do my best to push the team, to rise them to be motivated, focus on what is better today”? He even had to confirm he wasn’t joking about his seriousness regarding Horner. The shade was real when Vasseur was asked if he’d ever consider working with Horner, replying: “This you have to ask my assistant,” a clear jab at the circumstances surrounding Horner’s Red Bull departure.
On-Track Battles and Engine Woes
This whole situation is even more frustrating because Ferrari needs to focus on actual racing. They entered this season with big hopes of being title contenders following the introduction of new chassis and engine rules in F1. Their car was acknowledged as the best in the corners as the season began, but man, that engine has lacked performance compared to those of Mercedes and Red Bull. Baku’s long straights put that lack of power on full display. Leclerc qualified second, but slipped back hard in the race. Vasseur admitted, “With the situation that we are in the engine, we are losing one position per lap, and then we lose the path of the race.” He was honestly surprised Leclerc even made the front row, knowing how demanding Baku is on engines, and wasn’t expecting it. Despite the drama, Lewis Hamilton still has faith in Vasseur’s leadership, simply replying “Yes” when asked by Sky Sports. Vasseur himself is all in, saying “Motorsport is my life, it’s my business. I’m there to do my job. I have the best job in the world, heh.” He’s committed to push “until the last corner.” Ferrari hasn’t snagged a world championship since 2008, and a fully competitive car has been rare since then. This team needs absolute focus to turn things around.
With seven races left in the season and a P3 fight on their hands, Ferrari absolutely cannot afford these kinds of outside distractions. Can Vasseur keep his squad locked in and push for those crucial championship points? We’ll be watching every lap.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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