Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur says Christian Horner 'looking for a job' adding to 'frustrating' speculation around F1 team

Vasseur, who joined Ferrari as team principal from Sauber in 2023, has an overseen their return to race-winning ways this year after a poor 2025 but their world championship challenge to Mercedes has faded in recent months amid a five-race run without a podium finish.

In an interview with The Times published last week, former Red Bull team principal Horner said Ferrari were the only team he would consider returning to the pit-wall for without the ownership stake that he has been prioritising for any comeback to the sport.

Asked after Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, in which his drivers finished fourth and sixth, whether the external noise around him and the team recently was affecting them, Vasseur conceded it was frustrating.

"We are not working in perfect serenity," said Vasseur.

"For me, first, but for everybody in the team, for the media, for the 50 per cent 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, 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."

Referencing his former Red Bull counterpart, Vasseur added: "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 ask the team to be motivated, focus on what is better today, and not to spend time with gossips.

"In each interview, it will be 25 times a day."

Vasseur signed a multi-year contract extension last year and said there was no doubt about his commitment to the role as he bids to lead F1's most-famous team back to world title-winning ways for the first time since 2008.

"For sure. The sport is my life, it's my business," said the 58-year-old Vasseur. "I'm trying to do my best. For sure, I'm there to do my job. I have the best job in the world.

"It is like it is. We still have seven races to go and we will push to the last corner."

Lewis Hamilton credited the presence of Vasseur, who he worked with in junior series, as a central reason for him joining Ferrari from Mercedes in 2025. The seven-time world champion replied "yes" when asked by Sky Sports F1 after the Baku race whether the team remained on a good path forward with Vasseur at the helm.

Villeneuve: Horner someone you must have under consideration

Even before he was sacked by Red Bull in July 2025, Horner had been intermittently linked with Ferrari over the years owing to the success which saw the Briton lead their rivals to eight drivers' and six constructors' world titles.

Sky Sports F1 pundit Jacques Villeneuve believes Horner's availability has to be a consideration for a team.

"Christian Horner is someone you have to take seriously and under consideration because he built up the winning Red Bull team," the 1997 world champion told Sky Sports News in Baku.

"He has a lot of very good and positive baggage, full of successes so you have to take that into consideration.

"I wouldn't say it's scary for who is in place, but you need to be on your toes."

Vasseur became Ferrari's fifth team principal in nine years when he was hired from the start of the 2023 season, with the current campaign his fourth in charge.

Villeneuve added: "Ferrari is not an easy place to be. We have seen so many changes - two or three years, next one, because the results don't come.

"So you are always on an ejectable seat and you have to be careful."

Formula 1 heads to Malaysia for the first time since 2017 as it hosts the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit - watch live coverage from Friday morning, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime