Ferrari: Bold Bid to Steal Horner from Red Bull Unsuccessful Amid 2025 Season Chaos
Ferrari Horner F1
The turbulence at Scuderia Ferrari appears far from over, despite a promising second-place finish for Charles Leclerc at the recent Monaco Grand Prix. Fueling speculation about the team's frustration with the 2025 season's performance, or lack thereof, are reports that Ferrari's bosses recently attempted to poach Red Bull's long-time team boss, Christian Horner.
Ferrari reportedly approached Red Bull principal Christian Horner
Credit: Jay Janner/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK
According to Bild newspaper, this move, which Christian Horner reportedly declined, having also turned down Ferrari years ago, suggests that the company's leadership, including figures like John Elkann, is considering whether to retain current team boss Fred Vasseur. Vasseur himself has admitted that the team hasn't had the best start to the championship and has performed worse than expected. 'We performed worse than expected. That's very clear,' Vasseur said after Monaco. 'We have to be honest with ourselves.'
The reports that Ferrari tried unsuccessfully to lure Christian Horner to the Scuderia certainly paint a different picture than the public statements made by others on the team.
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Related: Red Bull boss Christian Horner cleared following probe
Charles Leclerc takes P2 at Monaco, but technical issues remain
charles leclerc monaco gp ferrari
While Leclerc's P2 in Monaco was a positive in an already tumultuous season, especially given pre-weekend low expectations, it came on a unique circuit primarily featuring slow corners where compromises made for high-speed tracks are less necessary. Leclerc himself expressed confusion about the sudden performance jump, acknowledging, 'We still need to understand why…it's an unknown, I don't quite know why we are so fast in slow-speed suddenly.'
Leclerc believes this pace is likely not to produce positive results at other tracks. Ferrari remains hopeful that upcoming changes, such as a new front wing technical directive taking effect in Spain this weekend and potential rear suspension modifications in July, might help put the car package in a better place. Despite these welcome changes, Deputy Team Principal Jerome d'Ambrosio cautioned against expecting a single 'magic trick' to transform performance.
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Related: Monaco Grand Prix 2025: F1's biggest winners and losers from Round 8
Ferrari also has an unhappy, frustrated Lewis Hamilton
lewis hamilton ferrari 2025 saudi arabian grand prix
Adding to Ferrari's complex season is the struggles of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who arrived at Maranello with high hopes. Hamilton described his Monaco race, where he finished fifth, as 'miserable' and felt he was left 'in no man's land' due to the large gap between his position and the race leaders. Finishing 51 seconds behind winner Lando Norris and well adrift of Leclerc, Hamilton couldn't explain the significant gap.
Hamilton's race was hampered by a three-place grid penalty for impeding Max Verstappen in qualifying, which caused more angst between the driver and his crew. Beyond track performance, tensions and communication problems with his race engineer, Riccardo Adami, have been evident, leading to confusing exchanges during the race.
Some experts, such as former F1 test driver Ho-Pin Tung and GT3 driver Indy Dontje, have called for Adami's ousting, citing a lack of performance and the crucial need for a strong driver-engineer relationship.
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'He now has a seven-time world champion in the car, and he expects something from you. Adami just doesn't perform. Hamilton can expect to have the best of the best,' Dontje told Motorsport-NextGen. 'Vasseur replaced Charles Leclerc's engineer at Ferrari. I don't understand why they don't intervene now. Hamilton should be able to demand that.'
Former F1 driver Nick Heidfeld suggests that age may be a factor in Hamilton's performance, noting that compared to Leclerc, he is currently lagging, especially in qualifying. Heidfeld believes that while Hamilton hasn't lost his talent, adapting to a new car and team environment becomes harder with age. This aligns with former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve's view that Hamilton currently lacks a personal bond with Ferrari, unlike his connection to Silverstone, and that fitting in at Maranello is notoriously tricky.
Related: Ferrari Monaco GP Thriller: Leclerc's close call fuels excitement, disappointment and scrutiny
Ferrari's future remains uncertain
Despite Leclerc publicly backing Vasseur, the reported attempt to hire Horner and the team's admitted struggles highlight the significant pressure on Ferrari's leadership to find solutions and deliver consistent performance in what has been a disappointing 2025 season so far.
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If the technical changes made to the SF-25's front wing for the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend, and rear suspension modifications, supposedly on the docket for later in July, don't improve their fortunes, big changes could be on the horizon. In that case, Ferrari may focus its efforts entirely on 2026, essentially waiving the white flag.
Related: 'Ferrari is 2025's biggest disappointment,' former F1 driver says
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