Ferrari are reportedly lining up an extraordinary bid to sign Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
The Italian bosses are set to seek a solution to their disappointing start to the F1 season, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton languishing in fifth and sixth in the drivers’ standings respectively.
The rumours have led to speculation over the future of Fred Vassuer. The 56-year-old replaced Mattia Binotto as team boss after the 2022 season.
In his time leading the Italian giants, he has not led the team to a drivers or constructors title.
Ferrari are reportedly looking to bring the Briton on board
Reuters
Despite an improved showing in Monaco, Ferrari are only fourth in the standing, already facing a 177-point deficit to leaders McLaren.
According to Bild, Ferrari has chosen Horner as a potential new leader in red.
Horner, 51, is currently contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2026, but with recent controversies amid a fallout with team advisor Helmut Marko.
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Horner, however, is said to be keen to stay on at Red Bull.
He has been with the team since 2005 and has overseen the Milton Keynes team to eight title victories, four with Sebastian Vettel and four with Max Verstappen.
Verstappen is currently struggling in comparison to previous years in his Red Bull, He trails Oscar Piastri by 25 points, with both McLarens seeming like a match for the Dutchman this season.
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Lewis Hamilton has struggled to get to grips with the Ferrari car
Reuters
Horner taking the helm at Ferrari is an interesting choice, especially considering his history with Lewis Hamilton.
During the 2021 season, Verstappen took the title under controversial circumstances, as rules were altered leading to the Dutchman winning his first world title.
At the British GP in 2021, Horner criticised Hamilton’s driving, calling it “desperate” and “out of order”, after Hamilton and Verstappen came to blows around Silverstone.
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He also dismissed that the Mercedes man had been hard done by in Abu Dhabi claiming it was strategic error and not the alteration of the rules that lost him a record eight championship.
Horner has praised the now Ferrari man, saying that he handled that defeat with “grace and dignity” as he made sure to congratulate Verstappen on his first world title.
Lewis Hamilton made sure to congratulate Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi in 2021
Getty
Tensions within the Ferrari team have been growing lately, highlighted once again after the Monaco Grand Prix, as Hamilton appeared to be ignored by his race engineer Riccardo Adami.
After a disappointing race, which saw Hamilton finish nearly a minute behind the top four, he asked on the radio, “Are you upset with me?”, to which the seven-time champion received no reply.
