Horner and Ferrari: The perfect F1 match, but only on paper

Horner's résumé says it all. The former Red Bull boss doesn't only know how to build a successful F1 team, but also how to maintain it performing at the highest level and fighting for the top prizes. After all, he did it at the Austrian outfit for over 20 years, winning six Constructor's championships and eight Drivers' titles overall.

Ferrari is by far the most traditional team on the grid. As such changing the mentality and the culture from within would take time.

Since 2007, the Scuderia has seen no less than four team principals come and go, with Frédéric Vasseur being the fifth person brought in to take on the role.

When four highly capable individuals fail to complete the task of turning F1's most famous team into world beaters, then where is the problem?

Horner's leadership style requires him to be able to make decisions on the go, as the fast-paced world of Formula One demands, without waiting for the go ahead from the team's higher ups. It was this nimble operational model that allowed Red Bull to rapidly go from a midfield team in 2005, to title contender by 2009.

At Ferrari, Horner would constantly find himself bumping into heavy politics and traditionalistic values that Ferrari is well known for, preventing the Briton from reacting swiftly and effectively to the team's needs.

The Scuderia is known for being the most high-pressure environment in Formula One, with the brand being an adopted national symbol under the ever watchful eye of the Italian media who also expect sporting results.

One needs only to look at Vasseur's position coming under fire twice this season already, with last year's results all but forgotten, and the need for continuity to face the upcoming technical regulations dramatic changes seemingly overlooked as well.

And so, one of the necessary ingredients to build long lasting success in F1 appears to be missing at Ferrari: time.

To be able to optimise the mindset and the culture of a team, a team principal needs, not days, weeks or months, but years in order to build a title winning squad from the ground up.

Horner's life is in Great Britain. His family, consisting of his wife Geri Halliwell-Horner and his three children, is deeply rooted in the English way, and a move to Ferrari would unsettle the family structure.

Leave the family behind, or uproot them all and move them to Italy? That would be a hefty sacrifice for a team principal role. Horner would be the first to wonder if the benefits the potential move could yield, are worth the challenges and its risks as well.

A report in the German media suggested Ferrari President John Elkann had lost faith in Vasseur, and amid the reports suggesting internal tension and turmoil in the Scuderia, it is easy to arrive at the conclusion that the Frenchman's position seems untennable.

However, with the 2026 regulations already looming large in the horizon, it would be folly to axe the team principal prior to what is arguably the most dramatic and comprehensive rule change in the history of Formula One.

Particularly for someone who will not be available until after the season starts. Following his recent termination at Red Bull Racing it was reported by GPblog that the earliest Horner could return to Formula One would be around spring next year.

Carrying out a handover under the circumstances previously outlined could even throw the team into disarray, something Ferrari cannot risk if they wish to end their nearly two-decades long title drought in Formula One.

Furthermore, at Ferrari Horner could only ever hope to be team principal, which according to reports is not the role the 51-year-old is envisioning for his F1 return.

During the Singapore Grand Prix weekend it was suggested that Horner had been 'ringing up every team owner in the paddock', adding more fuel to the claim that the former Red Bull boss would be looking for a way back into the sport as a stake holder in one of the teams.

Although on paper the collaboration between the iconic brand and one of the winningest team principals in the sport's history seems ideal, reality paints a vastly different picture.

And so, Horner is likely to continue to knock on doors until he finds the right opportunity that provides him what he needs and wants at this stage of his career.

As for Ferrari, the team will more than likely continue to support Vasseur as the Scuderia readies itself to start the 2026 season on the right foot.

Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.