Vasseur: Horner's Ferrari 'dream' talk is a distraction while he looks for a job

Ferrari boss hits back at Horner's overtures

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has dismissed Christian Horner's suggestion that Maranello would be "the dream" destination for the former Red Bull chief, insisting the outgoing team principal is "looking for a job" and proving a distraction for his squad.

Speaking after Saturday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, where Charles Leclerc finished fourth and team-mate Lewis Hamilton came home sixth, Vasseur made clear his frustration at the constant speculation linking Horner to the Ferrari seat.

'We are not working in the perfect serenity'

Horner, dismissed as Red Bull team principal in July 2025, used an interview with the Times this week to name Ferrari as the only Formula 1 team he would join without being handed a shareholding, describing the Scuderia as "the dream" and "the sleeping giant of Formula 1."

Vasseur's response was blunt. "We are not working in the perfect serenity," he said. "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 P3 [third place] 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, focus on what is better today."

'I was very serious'

When asked by Sky Sports whether he was joking about Horner, Vasseur replied: "I was very serious." Pressed on whether he would ever consider working with the former Red Bull chief, he answered pointedly: "This you have to ask my assistant."

The remark appears to reference the circumstances surrounding Horner's departure from Red Bull. Horner had faced allegations of sexual harassment and coercive, controlling behaviour made public in February 2024, accusations dismissed by Red Bull after two internal investigations. The affair was followed by an 18-month period of tumult, in which chief technical officer Adrian Newey and other senior figures departed and the team's form slumped. Red Bull have never publicly explained the dismissal, with the two parties said to have agreed a settlement worth £51.5m.

Engine struggles cloud Ferrari's season

Ferrari entered 2025 with championship ambitions under F1's new chassis and engine regulations. While the car was widely acknowledged as the strongest in the corners early in the season, the power unit has lagged behind those of Mercedes and Red Bull - a weakness brutally exposed on Baku's long straights as Leclerc slipped back after qualifying second.

"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," Vasseur admitted. "Honestly we were surprised to be in the first row, because Baku is the most demanding in terms of engine, and was not expecting to do so. But we knew even starting from the first row that the opening laps, or in case of restarting safety car and so, it would be difficult. And it was."

'I will push until the last corner'

Asked whether he remained committed to his position at Ferrari, Vasseur gave a defiant answer. "Motorsport is my life, it's my business. I'm trying to do my best. I'm there to do my job. I have the best job in the world, heh. But, it is like it is. We have still seven races to go, and I will push until the last corner."

Hamilton, meanwhile, gave a short vote of confidence in the team's direction when asked by Sky Sports whether he was confident Ferrari were on a good path under Vasseur's leadership - replying simply: "Yes."

Ferrari have not won a world championship since 2008, and have rarely fielded a fully competitive car since. For now, the pressure is as much about the noise surrounding the team as it is about the deficit on track, with Vasseur making clear he intends to focus on the seven races that remain.