Lewis Hamilton/Fred Vasseur (Ferrari): Reaction to Horner’s brazen statement

The book *Drive*, written by former Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner, is due to be published at the end of October. The 52-year-old Englishman has been in the high-octane industry long enough to know how to play the media game to perfection.

And so the Brit is promoting himself and his book vigorously, for instance by brazenly bringing himself into the conversation at Ferrari.

Christian Horner told The Times: “I’ve been an employee before. I sat on the pit wall for 21 years. I don’t need to go back there. At this stage in my life, there’s only one team where I’d accept not having a stake in the ownership.”

“Would I consider Ferrari? Ferrari is the biggest brand in Formula 1. That’s the dream. And you could say it’s the sleeping giant of Formula 1.”

Horner, modest as ever: “I think the fact that people are still talking about me 14 months after I left the sport shows that there’s still a demand for me. Perhaps I wasn’t so unpopular after all.”

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Horner as Fred Vasseur’s successor at Ferrari? Sky GP expert Timo Glock isn’t convinced: “Fred Vasseur has brought Ferrari back to where the team is now, in second place in the World Championship. He has brought structure and order to the team. To replace him now and start the next cycle would be completely the wrong move for Ferrari from a strategic point of view.”

In Baku, Lewis Hamilton and Fred Vasseur were asked about Horner’s comments. Vasseur said: “We’re not working in complete peace and quiet. That applies first and foremost to me, but also to everyone else in the team. It’s a somewhat frustrating situation that 50 per cent of the questions relate to such matters. Mr Horner is looking for a job – everyone knows that – and he’s looking everywhere.”

After the Baku Grand Prix, when asked whether Ferrari was on the right track with Fred Vasseur, Lewis Hamilton replied: “Yes.”

There has been speculation about Horner joining Ferrari for years, and eleven months ago, during the US Grand Prix in Austin (Texas), Hamilton said: “I don’t know where these rumours come from, so I can’t really comment on them. But such things are, of course, unhelpful. I know that everyone at the factory is working incredibly hard and with great focus, and such speculation can only be a distraction.”

When asked whether it would be a good idea for Horner to become Ferrari’s team principal, Hamilton replied at the time: “No, and I won’t be helping to spread such rumours any further.”