Christian Horner’s eye-catching comments about a possible future at Ferrari came from an interview recorded in early September and arranged by his book publisher for promotional purposes, according to new details about the conversation with The Times. The timing adds another layer to remarks that caused a major stir in Formula 1 and triggered a sharp response from Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur.
Christian Horner had never previously opened the door quite so clearly to a future in Maranello. His willingness to consider Ferrari, expressed while currently without a Formula 1 management role, immediately attracted attention because the position he was discussing is already occupied by Frédéric Vasseur. Horner had effectively opened the door to a possible Ferrari role, describing the Italian team as a unique exception to his preference for holding an ownership stake in any future project.
Christian Horner’s unusual Ferrari interview
It is certainly unusual in Formula 1 for an unemployed senior manager to publicly express interest in a role that is already occupied. Frédéric Vasseur was clearly unimpressed by the situation and responded with some particularly strong words about his former rival, eventually making a pointed allusion that attracted attention of its own. The background to Frédéric Vasseur’s response to Christian Horner has since become another major part of the discussion.
Questions over Christian Horner’s Ferrari comments
Christian Horner’s apparent self-nomination was so direct that it immediately raised a series of questions. If Christian Horner were genuinely negotiating with Ferrari, would he really speak so openly about the possibility?
Was he sending a message to Maranello? Was the interview intended to unlock another opportunity elsewhere in Formula 1? Or was it simply a promotional strategy designed to put Christian Horner back in the spotlight ahead of the publication of his book in October?
All are legitimate questions and, for now, none has a definitive answer. Ferrari has not moved quickly to rule out the possibility either, unlike on previous occasions when similar speculation emerged.
The interview dates back to early September
The Race has reconstructed the background to Christian Horner’s interview, revealing a significant detail about when and why it took place.
“That interview was conducted before the Italian Grand Prix, at the beginning of September. And it was conducted for promotional purposes for the book Horner will publish next month, and it was arranged through the publishing house. So not by Horner himself.”
That context suggests Christian Horner’s comments may have been more closely connected to the promotion of his forthcoming book than to the disclosure of any genuine negotiations with Ferrari.
The publication date of the book also appears unlikely to be entirely coincidental. It is scheduled for 22 October, the anniversary of the death of Dietrich Mateschitz, the Red Bull co-founder who passed away on 22 October 2022. The timing is said to have caused considerable anger within Red Bull.
Was the entire strategy carefully planned?
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