MARANELLO — Ferrari has publicly thrown its support behind team principal Fred Vasseur amid intense speculation about his future, after Christian Horner told The Times a return to Formula 1 with Ferrari would be "the dream." The backing came over the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend in Baku, where Ferrari's ongoing struggles in the second half of the season have piled pressure on Vasseur, with reports emerging he could be replaced at the end of the year.
An angry Vasseur responded strongly to questions about his future on Saturday in Baku. "We are fighting for P2 in the championship, and 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 the best discussion that we can have," he said. "But it is what it is; it's not in my hands. Mr Horner is looking for a job - that, everybody knows - everywhere. But what can I do? Just try to do my best to push the team, to raise them to be motivated, focus on what is better today. Each interview, 25 times a day, we are coming back to this."
In an unusual move to silence the rumours, Ferrari held a media call on Tuesday. "In the recent days, there has been increasing speculation surrounding Scuderia Ferrari HP, and particularly dedicated to its leadership," said Maria Conti, Ferrari's chief communications officer. "Ferrari's position is clear, has not changed, and Ferrari has made its choices already, and we have full confidence in Fred Vasseur and in his team, and we continue to do so. At this time and in this particular moment, it's really important that the team remains united and cohesive, and we are focused all the energy on the work ahead." Conti added the team does not intend to fuel speculation or comment on assumptions from outside the company, and said the position is not new: "We already confirmed in the past."
Conti noted Ferrari always attracts extraordinary interest and it is natural many professionals aspire to be part of it. Former Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene recently told Sky Italy that Horner would bring a "disadvantage" to the Scuderia due to his past successes with Red Bull, which would only heighten expectations.