Horner and Vasseur leading Ferrari together: is that a real scenario?

14:50, 17 Jul

Updated: 14:52, 17 Jul

byLudo van Denderen

Some time ago, Italian media reported that Frederic Vasseur was set to leave his role as team principal. Corriere dello Sport—one of the outlets that originally broke the story—is now seeming to backtrack. According to the newspaper, Vasseur could stay on, but with one condition.

His contract expires at the end of the season, so both Ferrari and Vasseur are weighing their options for the near future. At least Ferrari appears to have already started that process.

The Scuderia is reportedly considering a management setup similar to McLaren’s current structure, with Andrea Stella stepping up as team principal and Zak Brown serving as CEO above him.

A boss above team principal Fred Vasseur?

Is Horner the logical candidate for Ferrari?

If Vasseur is open to this arrangement, it means he would report to someone else. But who? That’s the big question. Christian Horner’s name quickly comes up—he was recently ousted as Red Bull’s team principal and CEO, and his profile makes him a logical choice to oversee Vasseur.

That said, unlike at Red Bull, Horner is unlikely to step into the CEO role at Ferrari anytime soon—that position is currently held by Benedetto Vigna. So, it’s expected that Horner—or another candidate—would be positioned between Vigna and Vasseur within the hierarchy.

Rumors suggest Horner might start working for a new employer as early as January 1st. There are also reports that, following his departure, an agreement was made with Red Bull Racing to shorten his gardening leave to six months.