Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur says continued speculation linking former Red Bull boss Christian Horner with the Italian team has become an unwelcome distraction as Ferrari battles to secure second place in the Formula 1 constructors’ championship.
Horner, who was dismissed by Red Bull in July 2025, recently said Ferrari would be the one F1 team he could consider joining without requiring an ownership stake, describing the opportunity as particularly attractive because of the team’s status within the sport.
The comments have renewed questions about Vasseur’s position, despite Ferrari remaining focused on its current campaign. After the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where Charles Leclerc finished fourth and Lewis Hamilton took sixth, Vasseur made clear that repeated discussion about Horner was creating unnecessary noise around the team.
He said Ferrari’s attention should instead remain on improving performance and defending its championship position, adding that constant speculation was affecting conversations not only in the media but also around the garage.
Hamilton backed Ferrari’s current direction when asked after the Baku race whether he remained confident in the team under Vasseur.
Horner speculation follows Red Bull departure
Horner left Red Bull after the 2025 British Grand Prix following an unsettled period for the organisation.
A female employee had accused him of sexual harassment and coercive and controlling behaviour, allegations that became public in February 2024. Red Bull rejected the accusations after two internal investigations.
His departure came after several senior figures had also left the team, including chief technical officer Adrian Newey, while Red Bull’s competitive form declined from its earlier dominance.
Red Bull has never publicly detailed the reasons behind Horner’s dismissal. Horner and the team later agreed a settlement reported by sources to be worth about €60m, equivalent to roughly £51.5m.
Vasseur indicated that he regarded Horner as actively exploring opportunities elsewhere in Formula 1, while stressing that Ferrari’s leadership needed to concentrate on its own sporting priorities.
Ferrari’s engine weakness exposed in Baku
Ferrari entered the season expecting to fight for championships under Formula 1’s new chassis and power-unit regulations.
The car has shown strong cornering performance, but its engine has lacked the straight-line strength of Mercedes and Red Bull. That weakness became especially visible in Azerbaijan, where the long straights placed greater emphasis on power.
Leclerc qualified second but lost ground during the race as Ferrari struggled to defend against faster cars on the straights. Vasseur acknowledged that the team had performed better than expected in qualifying but knew before the race that holding position would be difficult, particularly after starts or safety-car restarts.
The result left Ferrari still searching for the consistent performance required to challenge at the front.
Vasseur nevertheless remains committed to leading the team through the final seven races of the season and says his focus is on extracting as much performance as possible before the championship ends.
Ferrari has not won a Formula 1 constructors’ championship since 2008 and has spent much of the period since then attempting to return to sustained title contention.
Horner’s renewed interest has therefore added another layer of scrutiny around the team at a time when Ferrari is already under pressure to turn its technical potential into stronger results.