Ferrari has been pulled back into a familiar cycle. When results fail to arrive, expectations are not met and pressure around Maranello increases, the search for someone to blame inevitably begins. Baku itself represented an almost perfect combination of the characteristics the current Ferrari technical package struggles to handle: slow corners and long straights, with the SF-26’s weaknesses becoming particularly visible during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend.
Fred Vasseur once again finds himself surrounded by questions about his future, and those rumours became even louder following Christian Horner’s recent comments. The former Red Bull team principal made no secret of Ferrari’s appeal, describing the Scuderia as his “dream” and the “sleeping giant” of Formula 1. It was a public expression of interest that was difficult to ignore, particularly when Fred Vasseur’s position was already being discussed.
That was followed by a variety of theories suggesting Ferrari may already have an exit package prepared for the French manager. There is no public confirmation of such a plan. But the broader question remains: is the team principal really the main reason why Ferrari is failing to produce the results expected at Maranello?
Fred Vasseur cannot be absolved of Ferrari’s results
Completely absolving Fred Vasseur would be wrong. The Frenchman has led Ferrari since 2023, giving him three and a half seasons in which to influence the organisation, select key personnel, modify working methods and help determine the team’s technical direction.
The Ferrari of 2026 is therefore also Fred Vasseur’s Ferrari, and a season falling below expectations cannot be treated as something entirely separate from the responsibility of the team principal, particularly after the dramatic disappointment of 2025. Anyone occupying that position ultimately has to answer for the results.
At the same time, it is difficult to forget what happened before Fred Vasseur arrived. Ferrari has not won the Drivers’ Championship since 2007 or the Constructors’ Championship since 2008. Since the end of the Jean Todt era, the sporting leadership has passed through Stefano Domenicali, Marco Mattiacci, Maurizio Arrivabene, Mattia Binotto and now Fred Vasseur.
Philosophies have changed. Organisational structures have changed. Regulations, technical directors and team principals have all changed. The outcome, at least in terms of winning a Formula 1 World Championship, has not.
Christian Horner would still face Ferrari’s deeper questions
That is why the Christian Horner discussion should not simply be reduced to a comparison between two individuals. Christian Horner has a record that inevitably makes him a major name for any Formula 1 team, and he has now publicly opened the door to a potential future with Ferrari.
But even the arrival of someone with Christian Horner’s profile would immediately raise a fundamental question: what kind of Ferrari organisation would he inherit? More importantly, how much genuine freedom would he have to change it?
Fred Vasseur has built a group containing several people he trusts, including Loïc Serra, Franck Sanchez and Jérôme d’Ambrosio, while Ferrari has also experienced significant departures involving figures such as Laurent Mekies, Xavi Marcos and Iñaki Rueda. Changing the name on the team principal’s office door once again would not necessarily change everything happening behind that door.
Fred Vasseur admits Ferrari lacks the necessary calm
It is within this context that Fred Vasseur’s comments in Baku become particularly significant. This time, the French manager appeared to lose some of his usual diplomacy when questioned repeatedly about Christian Horner and the continuing speculation.
“Mr Horner is looking for a job, everybody knows that,” Fred Vasseur replied when discussing the persistent rumours.
But another part of Fred Vasseur’s comments was arguably more important. The Ferrari team principal acknowledged that the organisation is not currently working with the level of calm it needs.
“It’s frustrating. Half the questions I receive are about Horner. But what can I do? I just try to do my best to push the team,” Fred Vasseur said.
The pressure surrounding the French manager had already increased after Ferrari’s difficult recent results, with the wider debate over why Fred Vasseur now needs results amid the Christian Horner speculation becoming increasingly difficult to separate from the team’s performance on track.
Ferrari has not repeated its strong public defence of Fred Vasseur
There is an important precedent. A little over a year ago, at the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, Fred Vasseur also arrived in Montreal surrounded by rumours regarding his future. On that occasion, the Ferrari team principal reacted strongly, describing some reports as disrespectful towards the people working inside the organisation.
Lewis Hamilton publicly supported Fred Vasseur at the time. The seven-time world champion said the team principal was one of the reasons he had chosen Ferrari and made clear that he wanted Fred Vasseur to continue leading the team.
Charles Leclerc was equally explicit, saying: “I believe in Fred as Fred has always believed in me.”
It represented a powerful public show of support. A few weeks later, Ferrari delivered its own message by announcing a multi-year contract extension for Fred Vasseur, officially referring to confidence in his leadership, the foundations that had been built and the desire to continue along a shared strategic direction.
Lewis Hamilton was again asked in Baku whether Fred Vasseur remained the right person to lead Ferrari and answered in the affirmative. However, the response was notably concise, and Ferrari has not yet witnessed the same collective public defence that emerged in Canada. The seven-time world champion’s brief answers on Fred Vasseur and Ferrari’s internal unity therefore attracted particular attention.
Ferrari’s silence leaves room for interpretation
Most importantly, one voice is currently missing: Ferrari’s own.
If Ferrari still considers Fred Vasseur the person around whom its future should be built, a strong statement from the company could extinguish at least part of the speculation. There would be no need to respond directly to Christian Horner or address every individual rumour. Ferrari could simply publicly reaffirm the confidence it expressed so clearly when Fred Vasseur’s contract was renewed.
Silence inevitably leaves room for interpretation.
At present, there is not enough public evidence to support claims that an early departure is already being prepared, and there are no known negotiations underway with Christian Horner. The lack of a statement, however, can still carry significance within the management of a Formula 1 team.
It may simply mean Ferrari has no intention of feeding speculation by responding every time another rumour appears. Alternatively, it could reflect a desire not to publicly guarantee a position that the ownership intends to assess according to results and the evolution of the project. That uncertainty may ultimately carry more weight than the rumours themselves.
Is Fred Vasseur really Ferrari’s fundamental problem?
Fred Vasseur can certainly be replaced. No Formula 1 team principal is untouchable, and results inevitably provide the standard by which anyone leading a team such as Ferrari will be judged.
Before making another change, however, Ferrari would first need to understand what has failed. If Fred Vasseur himself were the principal problem, replacing him would have a clear logic. But almost two decades of recent history are impossible to ignore: Stefano Domenicali, Marco Mattiacci, Maurizio Arrivabene, Mattia Binotto and Fred Vasseur have all occupied the role during Ferrari’s long wait for another title.
That does not mean Ferrari should retain Fred Vasseur regardless of results. It means that repeatedly attributing the primary responsibility to the team principal risks becoming an overly simple explanation for a problem that appears considerably more complex. Recent differences in public messaging have also fuelled questions over the internal environment, with Lewis Hamilton and Fred Vasseur appearing increasingly out of sync in recent weeks.
The fundamental question is therefore not only whether Fred Vasseur remains the right person for Ferrari. Perhaps the more important question is whether Ferrari has created the conditions around its team principal that would allow that person — whether Fred Vasseur, Christian Horner or anyone else — to genuinely return the Scuderia to winning championships.
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