Fred Vasseur’s Ferrari future and Christian Horner’s potential Formula 1 return converged in paddock stories this weekend, but just how interlinked are they?
Vasseur has been in charge at Ferrari since the start of 2023, but rumours in the paddock suggest that his reign may be coming to an end.
Is Fred Vasseur’s Ferrari future in doubt?
Over the weekend in Azerbaijan, multiple sources indicated to PlanetF1.com that change could be afoot at Ferrari.
The suggestion is that Ferrari’s senior leadership, ie. CEO Benedetto Vegna and chairman John Elkann, have eyes on a succession plan and that, following this season, Vasseur will be eased out of his role as team principal.
The details of this are unknown at present: it’s not known whether this means an internal move within the organisation, or a complete split.
The picture being painted is that of an attempt to reach an amicable situation in which Vasseur graciously stands aside, allowing the 58-year-old to return to a more low-key life, away from the stresses of one of the most politically charged roles in Formula 1, where he can concentrate on more personal priorities.
It’s also not clear whether this proposal has been put forward to Vasseur already, or whether he may have even already accepted terms.
Certainly, sources have been unable to deny the possibility that this plan is being formulated, while others have pointed at a change in his demeanor: he is said to have been almost monosyllabic on a recent top-level governance meeting, in contrast to his usual cheerful bonhomie.
Vasseur himself appeared to acknowledge the potential for change as he explained that any decisions are “not in his hands” as he spoke to the media in Baku on Saturday night, comments reminiscent of those made by Binotto in late 2022, although there is no sign that Vasseur has grown weary of the pressure as he spoke of “the best job in the world”.
“It’s my life, my business,” he said, “What can I do, what can I say?
“But it is what it is, it’s not in my hands. Mr. Horner is looking for a job – that everybody knows – everywhere.
“But what can I do? Just try to do my best to push the team, to raise them to be motivated, focus on what is better today.”
It’s in the reference to “Mr. Horner” that it’s important to try separating two converging stories from the weekend.
Christian Horner’s first lengthy interview since splitting with Red Bull last year was published in the UK’s The Times over the weekend, coinciding with the paddock whispers surrounding Vasseur’s position.
In the interview, Horner spoke at length about various topics, including his potential F1 return and what that may look like. The British executive is known to be pursuing an ownership stake in a team in order to return in a role beyond that of an employee, but confirmed that Ferrari is the one team for whom he would break this criteria.
“At this stage in my life, there’s only one team for which I would accept non-participation in ownership,” he said.
“Would I consider Ferrari? I mean, Ferrari is the biggest brand in Formula 1. It’s the dream. And arguably it’s the sleeping giant of Formula 1.”
One way of looking at his statement is that Horner is essentially raising his hand for the role, which only further increases the pressure on Vasseur if John Elkann is indeed shopping for a replacement for Vasseur.
But another interpretation is that Horner’s comments were intended in a more casual sense. In much the same way that Horner understood the call of Ferrari for Sebastian Vettel at the end of 2013, the Scuderia represents something to every single person in the paddock, a chance to be connected with the beating heart, the prestige, and the history of F1 – an air of mystique that speaks to the individual’s growing up with the sport.
It’s therefore not unusual to hear paddock personnel refer to Ferrari as a “dream” destination, but that is not the same thing as a declaration of intent: the practicalities and realities of a job there are the same as at any other team. Does one pick up the phone if Ferrari calls? Of course. But does that mean dropping everything to join?
Uprooting from a very settled and comfortable family life in the UK to move to Italy to lead a team at which managerial success remains so elusive, sounds like a far less logical and undesirable position than sticking to his guns in seeking an ownership role.
Are Horner’s comments, therefore, clamouring for a job? The job? Unlikely.
For context, it’s also important to note that the publishing process for a supplemental newspaper/magazine interview for a national publication means the comments themselves were made weeks ago; far in advance of any rumours about Vasseur’s position starting to emerge.
Horner’s very public position of outlining a desire for equity in a team comes at a time when there remains other possibilities: Renault’s right of refusal on the 24 percent Otro Capital stake in Alpine is believed to have an expiration date in the coming weeks, opening up the bidding process for that share, while speculation about potential opportunities at Aston Martin or heading a BYD-backed 12th team entry also linger.
To that end, PlanetF1.com’s understanding of the situation is that, while Horner may appear on the shopping list for any potential leadership opening at Ferrari, the name that continues to be linked with succession of Vasseur comes from another paddock entirely.
Antonello Coletta, the successful team boss of Ferrari’s AF Corse entry in the World Endurance Championship, has been indicated by multiple sources as the most likely candidate, having been first linked with the role in mid-2025 following the team’s Le Mans victory.
There’s also the option of simply promoting Jerome d’Ambrosio from his deputy team principal role, having gleaned several years of managerial experience learning alongside Toto Wolff at Mercedes before his switch to Ferrari.
Horner may be a star signing for Elkann, particularly as there is perhaps noone more capable of bringing an obstreperous political approach to the role than the Brit, but the possibility of it being a reality seems more down to the coincidental timing of his interview being publish coming in close tandem with the emergence of rumours of Vasseur’s exit, rather than being a genuine positioning for the job.
Why is there speculation about Fred Vasseur’s future?
The topic of Fred Vasseur’s leadership of Ferrari being in question is nothing particularly new, nor is it unusual as the Italian squad stands out amongst the top teams for having something of a shelf life on its top position.
Since its last title in 2008, Ferrari has had Stefano Domenicali, Marco Mattiaci, Maurizio Arrivabene, Mattia Binotto, and the incumbent Vasseur. Domenicali got six years in charge, a reign that ended in 2014. Since then, none of those who followed have lasted longer than four years.
Vasseur is now approaching the end of his fourth season, and is under contract until at least the end of 2027: he was announced on a “multi-year” renewal in mid-2025, with that confirmation putting an end to a summer of speculation in which reports in Italian media suggested he could be replaced following a difficult start to 2025.
At that time, Vassuer had enjoyed some very public support from Ferrari’s drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. The seven-time F1 World Champion had started just a few months before and, while results weren’t good, had put significant weight behind Vasseur by stating that he wanted him to remain in charge in the belief that he is the right person to take Ferrari to the top.
Vasseur himself labelled speculation around him and other personnel as distracting and disrespectful and, shortly afterwards, his renewal was confirmed: Italian sources claimed the scale of the F1 2026 regulatory changes and his organisational restructuring was enough to keep him at the helm.
15 months on, and the speculation has started to pick up again: Ferrari has had a decent start to the new regulation cycle, but is essentially exactly where it has been over the last four years: the perennial bridesmaid.
Lagging behind Red Bull Powertrains and Mercedes on the engine front, the ADUO safety net appears to have been part of the team’s planned strategy for this cycle, but, even with both of its ADUO ‘tokens’ for this year cashed in, there remains a power deficit.
There’s also a sense that, had the team been operationally sharper, the championship challenge that appeared on the cards around the time of its mid-summer victories might be considerably stronger than it is.
Both Hamilton and Leclerc are still backing Vasseur publicly. Leclerc’s recent contract renewal saw him say that he believes in him “200 per cent”, and that Vasseur’s leadership is a “big reason” for his commitment to the Scuderia as he “trusts him more than anything”.
At surface level, Hamilton has appeared more critical. At Monza, he commented on how management decisions such as rules of engagement start at the top, with Vasseur. Ferrari later deleted these comments – including a reference to how Mercedes instilled a certain team dynamic – from the audio file disseminated to the media, suggesting that it was a viewpoint the team did not want spreading too far.
But these rumblings of discontent, the frustrations voiced by Hamilton over team radio about aspects such as strategy calls, dynamics, and communication, haven’t swelled into a withdrawal of support.
“I’m still a believer that Ferrari has absolutely everything we need to win,” he said. “It takes everything coming together, naturally, to be able to achieve what we’re trying to achieve.”
But while Vasseur appears to still have the support of the drivers and the team, can the same be said of his superiors? There have been claims in Italian media, such as by those from Giorgio Terruzzi, that his relationship with Vigna has deteriorated, while Corriere della sera has claimed that there are many pressures coming from above on Vasseur.
But a recent interview given by Vasseur to Autosport has seen him claim that communication with Elkann remains open and constructive, and views the constant presence of Vigna and Elkann as a net positive in terms of involvement.
With the paddock whispers about his future refusing to die down, the picture being painted is that, if Elkann and Vigna are aiming for fresh blood in 2027, the partnership with Vasseur ends in as amicable a fashion as possible.
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