F1 insider says 'highly unlikely' Christian Horner would get what he wants at Ferrari

Christian Horner at the British Grand Prix — Photo: © IMAGO

Ferrari

F1 insider says 'highly unlikely' Christian Horner would get what he wants at Ferrari

Ask all you like, but...

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Friday 2 October 2026 13:55

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Christian Horner might be keen on a move to Ferrari, but one F1 expert has pointed out that the team themselves may have some concerns.

BBC Sport's Andrew Benson has warned that the if there's a team on the grid where the former Red Bull man won't get the overarching control that he wants, it's the ones in red shirts based out of Maranello.

Since Horner's interview with The Times was released last week, in which he called Ferrari 'the dream' and hinted that he'd be interested in taking over from Fred Vasseur at the head of the F1 table, the team has come out strongly in defence of their current team principal.

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A hastily-arranged media call this week saw the team's communications chief launch a defence of the Frenchman, while star driver Lewis Hamilton spent a good chunk of his Thursday talking up his faith in Vasseur.

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How much of that is believing Vasseur is the right man for the job and how much is a stronger belief that Horner is the wrong man for the job is up for debate but, as Benson wrote in his Q&A column this week, the setup of the team is geared to almost the polar opposite of what Horner wants in his theoretical next job.

"Horner's comments seem to make it clear that he would consider a job offer from Ferrari. But the key questions are under what conditions he might accept it, and whether he would be offered it in the first place.

"Horner has made it very clear over the years that he believes an F1 team needs one person in charge and in overall control. It's highly unlikely he would get that at Ferrari, where chairman John Elkann and chief executive officer Benedetto Vigna will always have more authority than any team principal.

"Even at Red Bull, where Horner had theoretical leadership at the F1 team, he was ultimately answerable to headquarters in Austria and that is what led to his removal in the end.

"It's hard to imagine how Elkann and Vigna could or would countenance any situation where they were removed from any input into the F1 team. And it's even harder to imagine a situation where that was not the de facto position even if a team boss had been given assurances they would be left alone."

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F1 Ferrari Christian Horner Fred Vasseur