Christian Horner would be a figure Ferrari should seriously consider, but his potential arrival at Maranello could encounter a major obstacle in the team’s existing leadership structure. According to veteran Formula 1 journalist Pino Allievi, the key issue would be the level of authority Horner could demand and how that would fit alongside Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna.
Allievi believes Horner’s record in Formula 1 provides compelling reasons for Ferrari to be interested in him. However, he also sees significant difficulties in any attempt to put the Englishman in charge of the Scuderia unless Maranello were prepared to make substantial changes to its sporting structure.
Christian Horner’s Ferrari ambitions and the issue of full control
The central obstacle identified by Allievi is the carte blanche that Christian Horner would potentially seek before taking responsibility for Ferrari. Such a demand for autonomy could conflict with the current chain of command at Maranello and, in Allievi’s view, would require a significant restructuring of the sporting operation.
During a Q&A on FormulaPassion.it’s YouTube channel, Allievi also addressed the suggestion that Horner’s recent openness towards Ferrari could simply be connected to promoting his book.
“I don’t think Horner needs a sensational headline to sell a few copies of his book,” Pino Allievi said. “I’ve seen everything in Formula 1, so you can come up with a thousand different theories.”
Pino Allievi says Ferrari would be wrong to ignore Christian Horner
Whatever the motivation behind the recent discussion, Allievi stressed that Ferrari has previously shown interest in Horner. He recalled that the Maranello team explored the possibility before ultimately turning to its current team principal.
“One thing is certain: before Vasseur, John Elkann contacted Horner,” Allievi explained. “I presume he even went to his home in England. So Ferrari likes Horner, the Ferrari environment likes him, and rightly so.”
That history gives additional context to the renewed speculation over Horner and Maranello. The possible route to Ferrari has already raised questions over how much authority would be available within the existing management structure, an issue explored in our analysis of the major control obstacle facing a potential Christian Horner Ferrari move.
Allievi then pointed to Horner’s achievements as the strongest argument for keeping him under consideration.
“He’s someone who has won a huge number of world championships, created from scratch a team that has been the phenomenon of the last 20 years, and developed drivers such as Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen from the ground up,” Pino Allievi continued. “He created an engine division from scratch that produced what, judging by what the FIA says, is the most powerful engine in the new Formula 1. You wouldn’t want to hire him? You wouldn’t want to consider someone like that? Of course you would: Ferrari would be wrong not to consider him. So there are valid reasons why Ferrari may have contacted him.”
Benedetto Vigna could become the key obstacle at Ferrari
The complications, according to Allievi, would emerge when defining the powers granted to any potential new head of the Scuderia. He expects Horner to seek complete autonomy, which would inevitably raise questions about his relationship with Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna.
“Horner is a very wise and very careful person,” Allievi explained. “The moment he asks for carte blanche, because clearly you have to ask for carte blanche, he will find himself with a chairman who tells him: ‘I have a CEO, Benedetto Vigna: you have to report to him, deal with him.’ Elkann deals with other things, with the bigger picture. That’s where all the difficulties would begin, because Horner would find himself no longer being the absolute number one he wanted to be.”
The relationship between Ferrari’s corporate leadership and its Formula 1 operation has already become part of the wider debate around Maranello, including questions concerning John Elkann, Lewis Hamilton and the authority of the Ferrari team principal.
Pino Allievi sees major difficulties without Ferrari restructuring
For that reason, Allievi remains sceptical about how easily Horner could move into Ferrari’s present structure. The issue is not whether his Formula 1 record warrants consideration, but whether the organisation could accommodate the degree of control he would be expected to seek.
“That’s why I see many difficulties with Horner moving to Maranello,” Pino Allievi concluded. “As for him seeing himself, in his dreams, as the saviour of the nation, I understand that. But for the moment it remains a dream, unless Ferrari substantially changes its entire sporting structure.”
The discussion comes as Ferrari’s management direction remains under close attention. Maranello has recently reiterated its backing for Fred Vasseur, while the longer-term leadership picture remains an important part of preparations for the crucial 2027 season.
Allievi’s assessment therefore presents two distinct sides to the Horner question. His record makes him someone Ferrari would be wrong to dismiss, in the journalist’s view, but accommodating his expected demand for authority could require changes extending well beyond the identity of the team principal.
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