Fred Vasseur Admits Ferrari Cannot Work in ‘Perfect Serenity’ Amid Christian Horner Speculation

• Fred Vasseur says constant speculation about Ferrari’s leadership is creating a “frustrating situation” inside the team.
• The comments follow Christian Horner calling Ferrari his “dream job” in an interview with The Times.
• Jacques Villeneuve says Horner’s availability is something any team “has to take seriously.”

Vasseur Breaks His Silence on the Speculation

Fred Vasseur admits Ferrari are not able to work in “perfect serenity” amid persistent speculation about his future at the team, speculation that grew louder after comments from Christian Horner about Formula 1’s “dream job.”

Vasseur joined Ferrari as team principal from Sauber in 2023 and has overseen a return to race-winning form this year after a poor 2025. But the team’s world championship challenge to Mercedes has faded in recent months, with Ferrari now on a five-race run without a podium finish.

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A Frustrating Situation

Asked after Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, in which his drivers finished fourth and sixth, whether the outside noise around him and the team recently was affecting them, Vasseur conceded that it was.

“We are not working in perfect serenity,” Vasseur said. “For me, first, but for everybody in the team, for the media, for the 50 per cent of the questions about this. I think it’s a bit of a frustrating situation.”

“We are fighting for P2 in the championship,” he added. “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 not the best discussion that we can have. But it is what it is, it’s not in my hands.”

Horner’s Dream Job Comment

The speculation Vasseur refers to traces back to an interview former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner gave to The Times, published last week. Horner named Ferrari as the only team he would return to the pit wall for without the ownership stake he has been prioritising for any comeback to the sport.

Horner has been out of Formula 1 for more than a year, after Red Bull sacked him as team principal in July 2025, ending a 20-year run in charge of the team. He called Ferrari “the biggest brand in Formula 1,” adding: “It’s the dream. And arguably it’s the sleeping giant of Formula 1.”

Vasseur’s Response: “Mr Horner Is Looking for a Job”

Referencing his rival directly, Vasseur said: “Mr Horner is looking for a job. Everybody knows, everywhere.”

“What can I do?” Vasseur continued. “I just try to do my best to push the team, to ask the team to be motivated, focus on what is better today, and not to spend time with gossips. In each interview, it will be 25 times a day.”

No Doubt Over His Own Commitment

Vasseur signed a multi-year contract extension with Ferrari last year and said there was no question over his own future at the team as he pushes to lead Formula 1’s most famous name back to a world title, a wait that now stretches back to 2008.

“For sure. The sport is my life, it’s my business,” said the 58-year-old. “I’m trying to do my best. For sure, I’m there to do my job. I have the best job in the world. It is like it is. We still have seven races to go and we will push to the last corner.”

Lewis Hamilton, who worked with Vasseur in junior categories long before either arrived at Ferrari, has credited his presence as a central reason he joined the team from Mercedes in 2025. Asked by Sky Sports F1 after the Baku race whether Ferrari remained on a good path forward with Vasseur in charge, Hamilton replied simply: “Yes.”

Villeneuve: Horner Is a Consideration for Any Team

Even before his Red Bull exit, Horner had been linked with Ferrari over the years, a reflection of the success that saw him lead the team to eight drivers’ and six constructors’ world titles. Sky Sports F1 pundit Jacques Villeneuve believes his availability has to factor into any team’s thinking.

“Christian Horner is someone you have to take seriously and under consideration because he built up the winning Red Bull team,” the 1997 world champion told Sky Sports News in Baku. “He has a lot of very good and positive baggage, full of successes so you have to take that into consideration. I wouldn’t say it’s scary for who is in place, but you need to be on your toes.”

Vasseur became Ferrari’s fifth team principal in nine years when he was hired at the start of the 2023 season, with the current campaign his fourth in charge. Villeneuve pointed to that turnover as a warning of its own. “Ferrari is not an easy place to be,” he said. “We have seen so many changes – two or three years, next one, because the results don’t come. So you are always on an ejectable seat and you have to be careful.”

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Written by

Jack Renn

Jack Renn is an editor at F1 Chronicle and a veteran motorsport journalist with 25 years of experience covering Formula 1 and international motorsport. A member of the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS), the global body representing accredited sports journalists, Jack has spent his career reporting from paddocks and press rooms across the F1 calendar. His work spans race analysis, technical insight, and in-depth features, giving readers authoritative coverage grounded in decades of firsthand experience at the highest level of the sport.

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