Frederic Vasseur openly acknowledged that Ferrari cannot operate in a state of complete calm while rumours about his own future continue to swirl, especially after former Red Bull boss Christian Horner recently referred to a role at Scuderia Ferrari as the "dream job" in Formula 1. Vasseur, who took over the reins of the legendary Italian outfit in 2023 after a stint at Sauber, has overseen a modest resurgence this season, guiding the team back to the podium after a disappointing 2025 campaign.
However, the initial optimism has faded in recent weeks as the team endured a five‑race stretch without a single top‑three finish, causing their challenge to Mercedes for the championship to look increasingly tenuous. In a conversation with The Times that appeared last week, Horner, who left Red Bull in 2025, said that if he ever returned to the sport he would only consider doing so with Ferrari, even though he has been focusing on securing an ownership stake rather than a traditional team‑principal role. That comment sparked a fresh wave of speculation, prompting journalists and fans alike to wonder whether the Italian marque might eventually replace Vasseur with the former Red Bull chief. The speculation reached a new peak after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where Ferrari's drivers finished fourth and sixth, and Vasseur was asked whether the constant external chatter was affecting the team’s performance.
Vasseur answered candidly, admitting that the situation was "frustrating" for everyone involved. "We are not working in perfect serenity," he said. "For me, and for the whole crew, for the media, for the 50 percent of the questions that revolve around this, it is a bit of a frustrating situation.
We are fighting for P2 in the championship, and at the end of the day we are all talking about it. Even the guys in the garage are discussing it, and that is not the best conversation we could be having.
But it is what it is – it is not in my hands." When pressed further, Vasseur turned his attention to Horner’s public statements, remarking, "Mr Horner is looking for a job. Everybody knows, everywhere. What can I do? I just try to do my best to push the team, to keep the staff motivated, to focus on what we can improve today, and not waste time on gossip.
In each interview, it comes up twenty‑five times a day." Despite the swirling rumours, Vasseur reinforced his commitment to Ferrari by reminding everyone that he signed a multi‑year extension last year and that his ambition remains to restore the Scuderia to its former glory, aiming for a first drivers' and constructors' title since 2008. "The sport is my life, it is my business," the 58‑year‑old declared.
"I am trying to do my best. I have the best job in the world, and I am here to do my job. We still have seven races left, and we will fight until the very last corner." Lewis Hamilton, who switched from Mercedes to Ferrari in 2025, credited his decision partly to the presence of Vasseur, recalling their earlier collaboration in junior categories.
After the Baku race, Sky Sports F1 asked Hamilton whether Ferrari remained on a positive trajectory under Vasseur’s leadership, to which the seven‑time champion simply answered "yes," underscoring the confidence many top drivers still have in the French manager. The speculation surrounding Horner is not new. Even before his dismissal from Red Bull in July 2025, the British team principal had been linked intermittently with the Ferrari seat, given his record of guiding Red Bull to eight drivers' championships and six constructors' titles.
Former driver‑turned‑pundit Jacques Villeneuve, who now works for Sky Sports F1, argued that any team considering a managerial change must take Horner seriously because of his proven track record. "Christian Horner is someone you have to consider seriously because he built the winning Red Bull team," Villeneuve told Sky Sports News in Baku.
"He brings a lot of positive baggage, a history of success, so you have to weigh that. I wouldn’t say it’s scary for those already in place, but you need to stay on your toes." Vasseur himself became Ferrari’s fifth team principal in nine years when he was appointed at the start of the 2023 season, making the current campaign his fourth at the helm. Villeneuve added that Ferrari is a notoriously demanding environment: "Ferrari is not an easy place to be. We have seen so many changes – two or three years, then the next one, because the results don’t always come.
So you are always on an ejectable seat and you have to be careful." Looking ahead, the Formula 1 calendar will take the sport back to Malaysia for the first time since 2017, with the Bahrain Grand Prix scheduled at the Sepang International Circuit. Fans can watch the live coverage on Sky Sports F1, and the network’s streaming service NOW offers a contract‑free option that can be cancelled at any time.
As the season enters its final stretch, the pressure on Vasseur and his team will only intensify. Whether the external noise will subside or continue to dominate headlines remains to be seen, but Vasseur’s focus appears steadfast: keep the team motivated, avoid distractions, and extract the maximum performance from the car in every remaining race.