Lewis Hamilton had only just finished explaining why his Azerbaijan Grand Prix had been so difficult when his Sky UK interview suddenly changed direction. The discussion moved from Ferrari’s failure to reach the podium in Baku directly to Christian Horner, who only hours earlier had publicly opened the door to potentially leading the Maranello team one day.
Lewis Hamilton was asked whether, amid the constant noise surrounding Ferrari and Horner’s apparent interest in the team principal role, he still believed the Scuderia was heading in the right direction with Fred Vasseur in charge. The seven-time world champion appeared briefly caught off guard before answering with a single word: “Yes.” That was the entirety of his response.
Lewis Hamilton keeps Christian Horner Ferrari answer brief
The interviewer then tried to continue the subject, asking whether there was still unity inside Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton nodded and offered another extremely brief “yes”.
When the conversation moved to what Ferrari could still achieve over the remaining races, Hamilton looked around before answering with just two words: “Keep trying.”
The exchange lasted only a few seconds but came at a delicate moment for Ferrari. Charles Leclerc had started the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from second place but finished fourth, while Lewis Hamilton ended the race sixth, exactly where he had started, after also being overtaken late on by Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
The Briton had just described his own race as “pretty bad”. For much of the afternoon, he had struggled to bring the tyres into the correct operating window. The situation improved towards the end of his opening stint, but with the following set he said he continued sliding and could not find the pace required to attack the cars ahead.
The wider difficulties facing Hamilton in Baku followed another challenging weekend for the Ferrari driver, while his longer-term outlook with the team has also come under increased scrutiny as the season develops. His recent assessment of Ferrari’s championship situation can be explored in more detail in our report on Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s changing title outlook.
Why the Christian Horner question put Hamilton in a delicate position
Christian Horner’s name has been linked with Ferrari for some time, but a new element emerged during the Baku weekend. The former Red Bull team principal told The Times that, after spending more than two decades on the pit wall, he would prefer any Formula 1 return to involve a project in which he could also hold an ownership stake.
Horner identified one exception to that preference: Ferrari. The background to his comments can be found in our report on Christian Horner opening the door to a Ferrari role.
The 52-year-old described Maranello as “the dream” and Ferrari as Formula 1’s “sleeping giant”. Fred Vasseur, however, signed a multi-year contract extension in July 2025, and Ferrari has given no official indication that a change of team principal is planned.
Horner’s comments nevertheless placed his name back into a debate that has surrounded Vasseur for several months, increasing the attention on Ferrari’s management structure at a time when the team is also dealing with disappointing results on track.
Hamilton has rejected Christian Horner speculation before
For Lewis Hamilton, the situation also had a very recent precedent. When further speculation linking Christian Horner with Ferrari emerged in autumn 2025, Hamilton described those rumours as a distraction for the team.
Asked at the time whether bringing the former Red Bull team principal to Maranello would be a good idea, Hamilton answered directly that it would not and then declined to fuel the discussion further.
The question returned in Baku, this time only hours after Horner had openly expressed his willingness to consider Ferrari. Once again, Lewis Hamilton chose not to become involved in a wider debate about the team’s leadership.
When asked whether he still believed in the project being led by Fred Vasseur, one simple “Yes” was enough to make his position clear. Ferrari’s focus now remains on the closing stages of the 2026 Formula 1 season, while the speculation surrounding its management continues outside the track.
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