Ferrari is practically Italy’s second religion – so whenever it falls short of its lofty ambitions, speculation follows that its leaders are under threat.
After showing considerable promise in the pre-season and early races following the 2026 rules reset, Ferrari has drifted into a competitive no-man’s land epitomised by Charles
Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finishing fourth and sixth, distant from the cars ahead. It is second in the constructors’ championship, but well behind Mercedes and under threat from McLaren and Red Bull.
Hamilton’s win in Barcelona remains the season’s bright spot, and one that throws disappointing results at circuits where Ferrari expected to excel into even sharper relief.
There have been persistent slips in execution, such as not orchestrating a tow for both cars in qualifying for the Italian GP and again in Azerbaijan, and Hamilton has repeatedly criticised the lack of discipline – though this should be viewed in the context of him wanting the team to support his fading championship ambitions.
This had inevitably brought the team’s leadership under scrutiny and Vasseur has been dogged by rumours about his future, even though his contract extends to the end of 2027.
These have intensified in recent days, though it’s understood that claims he is being “stage managed” into retirement are not actually sourced from within Ferrari.
Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: James Sutton / LAT Images via Getty Images
But where do they come from? Indubitably a source with an agenda – or, as is often the way with such things, Italian websites with few other Ferrari-based matters of moment to discuss.
The latest burst of speculation coincides with an interview former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner gave to The Times to promote his new memoir, which is published next month. In it, he acknowledged that his desire to have equity in the business has been a prerequisite for him returning to a leading role.
“I’ve been a hired hand,” he said.
“I did 21 years sitting on the pitwall. I don’t need to go back to that… At this stage in my life, there’s only one team for which I would accept non-participation in ownership.
“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.”
Asked after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix whether the constant speculation about his position was putting the team under pressure, Vasseur responded in his usual disarmingly wry fashion.
“We are not working in perfect serenity, if that is the question,” he said.
Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari
Photo by: Alex Pantling / LAT Images via Getty Images
“For me, first, but for everybody on the team, for the media, for 50% of the questions about this, I think it’s a bit of a frustrating situation.
“We are fighting for P2 in the championship. At the end of the day, we are all speaking a lot about this [rumours about his position], and even for the guys in the garage to discuss about this, it’s not the best discussion that we can have. 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 to try to do my best to push the team, to ask them to be motivated, focus on what is better today, and not to spend time with gossips.
“But each interview, it’s been 25 times a day, I think we are coming back on this.”
The F1 media tends to act as an echo chamber, especially at a time in the season when speculation about driver moves for the coming season has become an exhausted subject.
A single piece of scuttlebutt can metamorphose into something adjacent to fact through endless repetition.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
But Ferrari has form in parting with leaders at short notice. Vasseur himself was installed in place of Mattia Binotto, who ‘resigned’ at the end of 2022, a season in which Ferrari’s narrative was similarly one of competitive drift. A human sacrifice is often required when a project is deemed to be failing.
Horner himself knows this well enough – in his memoir he ascribes his ousting to internal politics surrounding the regime change at Red Bull following the death of Dietrich Mateschitz, combined with a run of competitive dominance coming to an abrupt end.
In his interview in The Times he acknowledged that he is a “Marmite character”, albeit one with a track record of success.
Asked if he would be back in the F1 paddock next season, he said: “I don’t know. I’m the cure and the problem.”
There is a fascinating contrast between the present occupant of the Ferrari team principal role, battered from all sides about questions regarding his future, and the gentleman of leisure keeping his options open from the convivial environs of his Grade II listed Oxfordshire mansion.
“I’m in a very fortunate position that I can afford to be picky,” he said.
“If I don’t do anything, I can live here for whatever time I’ve got left on the planet, and just worry about whether it’s going to rain and make the grass green or not.
“But is that going to fulfil me? No. I still feel that there’s another dance. And Toto needs to have his hair f***ing ruffled up.”
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