Maurizio Arrivabene has warned against expecting Christian Horner alone to solve Ferrari’s problems amid continued speculation over Fred Vasseur’s future. The former Ferrari team principal believes the Maranello team needs stability, freedom to work and a broader rebuilding process rather than simply appointing a highly successful individual.
Rumours surrounding Vasseur’s position have intensified after Ferrari’s disappointing performances and another Grand Prix without a podium in Baku. At the same time, Christian Horner has publicly opened the door to a possible Ferrari role, further fuelling speculation around the leadership of the Scuderia. Horner’s comments and his interest in the position were detailed in our report on Christian Horner opening the door to Ferrari.
Maurizio Arrivabene questions whether Horner could transform Ferrari
Speaking on Sky Sport F1’s Race Anatomy, Maurizio Arrivabene offered his view on the debate. The Italian knows the Ferrari environment extremely well, having served as team principal from November 2014 until January 2019.
Although he did not go deeply into the specific possibility of Horner joining Ferrari, Arrivabene appeared sceptical that the former Red Bull team principal’s arrival would necessarily provide the decisive ingredient required to return the Scuderia to the top of Formula 1.
“At Ferrari, one man alone cannot change things,” Arrivabene said. “Arriving at Ferrari with all the titles Horner has won could perhaps be more negative than positive, because you create even greater expectations. On top of that, you have to start everything again from scratch.”
Arrivabene also pointed to the loss of several important technical figures who are now working elsewhere.
“Ferrari no longer has engineers of the calibre of Resta, Sassi, Cardile and Stella, who work for other teams. You have to rebuild. Ferrari needs tranquillity and a blank cheque. Those two things can solve many problems. It is not one man alone, however successful he may be, who can solve the problems.”
Arrivabene says Ferrari needs stability and freedom to work
The former team principal also addressed the question of whether Fred Vasseur remains the right person to lead Ferrari, although he admitted he does not know how much freedom the Frenchman currently has inside the organisation.
“Is Vasseur the right person? I don’t know whether he has a blank cheque or not,” Arrivabene continued. “If he does, then some reflection would be needed. You absolutely have to give the team tranquillity, and that is something that is not easy at Ferrari.”
Maurizio Arrivabene stressed the pressure that comes with joining Ferrari’s sporting operation and argued that the current group should be allowed to continue working without expectations being inflated by the possible arrival of a high-profile figure.
“When you enter the Racing Division, you take enormous pressure onto your shoulders. Let them work in peace. This year they made important steps forward, at least until some time ago. It is not as easy as it looks. It is not enough simply to bring in the ‘great man’ who has won everything. As a fan and former Ferrari employee, I say: let’s not create expectations.”
Arrivabene responds to Horner’s Toto Wolff comment
The former Ferrari team boss also took a playful swipe at Horner over a comment made by the British manager in his interview with The Times. Horner had suggested that he was the only person capable of “ruffling Toto Wolff’s hair”, referring to his rivalry with the Mercedes team principal.
“First of all, the only person who ruffled Toto Wolff’s hair for a few races years ago was me,” the Italian manager said.
He then pointed to another episode from Ferrari’s past, highlighting the political work carried out with Mercedes over Formula 1’s former engine-token regulations.
“But there is another important fact. Toto and I clashed strongly, but thanks also to the work done by Marchionne, it was Ferrari that convinced Mercedes to give way on the famous engine-token regulations. Christian followed us in that case. Politically, he is extremely good, but on that occasion, when it came to the regulations, the work was done by Ferrari together with Mercedes.”
Maurizio Arrivabene’s overall message was therefore that Ferrari’s problems cannot be reduced to the identity of one team principal. In his view, whether the team continues with Fred Vasseur or considers a figure such as Christian Horner, the larger challenge remains creating the stability, authority and structure required for the organisation to rebuild properly.
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