Rumors of former team boss Christian Horner moving to Ferrari persist—Fred Vasseur explains President John Elkann’s statement on the matter
The latest rumors that former Red Bull team boss Christian Horner could move to Ferrari have also caused a stir at Scuderia: Lewis Hamilton is annoyed about it, but Ferrari president John Elkann has clearly backed current team boss Fred Vasseur.
How did the Frenchman react to the backing? “Honestly, I think it’s good for everyone to get news like this,” says Vasseur. “But since we are in constant contact, we already had the message—it was more intended for third parties and external audiences.”
Specifically, this means that with his official statement on Vasseur, Elkann wanted to make it clear to the public that there are no changes to the current lineup at Ferrari and that all rumors about a possible move by Horner are untrue.
“It’s important because it puts an end to the discussion and allows us to focus on the next one, instead of answering all the questions about it,” adds Vasseur, whose future has been called into question more than once this season. The Frenchman was already under criticism in the first half of the season.
New contract for Vasseur with moderate success
At the end of July, the contract with the current Ferrari team boss was extended to put an end to the rumors once and for all. However, this strategy by the Italians was not entirely successful: speculation about Christian Horner continues unabated.
“It distracts us a little as a team,” says Hamilton, who has known Vasseur for a long time. “Of course, the team has made it clear where it stands on Fred’s contract extension, and Fred, myself, and the entire team are working hard on the future of the team. So things like this are obviously not helpful.”
“I know that everyone at the factory is working incredibly hard and is focused, and rumors like this can sometimes be distracting.” Let’s hope that Elkann’s latest clarification will finally bring some calm—and that Ferrari can once again concentrate fully on its performance on the track.
