Martin Brundle has revealed that he personally called Christian Horner after the latest wave of speculation linking the former Red Bull team principal with Ferrari. According to the Sky Sports F1 pundit, Christian Horner explained that his respectful comments about the Maranello team had generated far more attention than he expected.
The revelation came during Sky Sports F1 UK’s coverage of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, with Martin Brundle also offering his assessment of the intense pressure surrounding Ferrari and questioning whether another change at the top would make sense. The discussion follows renewed speculation about Christian Horner’s potential route to Ferrari and the issue of control at Maranello.
Martin Brundle reveals phone call with Christian Horner over Ferrari
After days of speculation about Christian Horner and a hypothetical future as Ferrari team principal, Martin Brundle decided to contact the Briton directly to discuss the situation.
Before revealing what was said during their conversation, Martin Brundle reflected on the unique pressure that comes with holding one of the most prominent positions at Maranello.
“Being a Ferrari driver or team principal is the best and worst job in F1 at the same time, because of the pressure and because the line separating a hero from a failure is sometimes incredibly thin: either you’re extraordinary or you’re useless. You have to know how to navigate that situation,” Martin Brundle said.
He then explained why he had decided to contact Christian Horner and revealed the response he received.
“There has been a lot of talk about Christian Horner this week, so I called him and he told me: ‘In an interview, I spoke politely and respectfully about Ferrari and it caused a huge stir…’ Anyway, can you imagine Lewis and Christian working together after 2021? That would be an interesting dynamic.”
The phone call therefore provides additional context to the recent discussion surrounding Christian Horner and Ferrari. Rather than confirming a move to Maranello, his explanation to Martin Brundle was that comments intended to be respectful towards Ferrari had triggered the subsequent attention.
Martin Brundle questions whether Ferrari should change team principal
Martin Brundle does not believe Ferrari would benefit from repeatedly changing its leadership. He compared the situation with the frequent turnover of senior figures seen in football and argued that stability is particularly important given how significantly the responsibilities of a modern Formula 1 team principal have evolved.
“It doesn’t make sense to keep changing key personnel; you see it in football,” Martin Brundle explained. “Even the role of a team principal has changed quite dramatically. They just need to stay calm and support each other.”
His assessment comes amid renewed attention on Ferrari’s management structure. The Italian team has already reaffirmed its support for Fred Vasseur, while speculation surrounding possible alternatives has continued externally.
Fred Vasseur warns Ferrari must remain united
Fred Vasseur also addressed the situation while speaking to the media on Friday morning. Referring to Lewis Hamilton’s recent comments, the Ferrari team principal warned that beginning to point the finger at individuals would be a “huge mistake”.
“In the good moments, we win as a team. In the bad moments, we suffer as a team. And I don’t want to talk about one individual or anything else,” Fred Vasseur said. “Honestly, I think it would be a huge mistake to start not being united.”
The French manager acknowledged that Ferrari’s start to the season has not delivered everything the team ultimately wants, while stressing that the overall beginning had still been positive.
“We had a good start to the season, and for sure it’s not enough. We want to achieve more, we want to win more, we want to win the championship. But overall, we had a positive start,” Fred Vasseur continued. “We’re struggling in the last two races, but hopefully we can recover soon thanks to the developments and get back to the original pace we had.”
The comments reinforce Ferrari’s public emphasis on unity at a time when its leadership has become a major subject of discussion. Questions over the authority and future of the current team principal have also emerged in relation to the wider corporate structure, including the relationship between Lewis Hamilton, John Elkann and Fred Vasseur’s position.
For Martin Brundle, however, the immediate conclusion is that Ferrari should resist another cycle of senior personnel changes. His conversation with Christian Horner also places the latest rumours in a clearer context: the Briton’s respectful remarks about Ferrari generated considerable speculation, but the phone call as described did not amount to confirmation that he is preparing to take over at Maranello.
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