Christian Horner at center of huge Ferrari prediction as 'prime target' to replace Frederic Vasseur

A former F1 Grand Prix winner has named former Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner a 'prime target' to replace Frederic Vasseur if Ferrari's deteriorating form carries on into 2026. The Italian team was expected to be a force in the 2025 constructors' championship after closely losing out to McLaren last year.

However, the men in scarlet red have neither won a race this season nor seen both its drivers on the podium together even once. Team Principal Frederic Vasseur's leadership and his future with the team were under scrutiny until the middle of the year, before Ferrari handed the Frenchman a multi-year contract renewal (effective from 2026) at the end of July.

Since then, the team's performance has only tanked, with both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton complaining about it often. Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert reckons Ferrari could look at replacing Vasseur with Christian Horner if the team can't make a comeback under the new technical regulations in 2026.

"Their prime target has to be Christian," Herbert told BettingLounge (as quoted by Express. "The team has all the ingredients they need. They just haven't been able to put them together. They've got the drivers, so there's no argument on that front. They have probably overcome a lot of those mistakes, pit stop mistakes, strategy mistakes that they used to make. But the pure raw pace of the car is not there. So, you need someone, but they still haven't been able to attract the people that they need to be able to produce the car that is good on track."

Frederic Vasseur at the F1 Sngapore Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Herbert highlighted how it was under Christian Horner's leadership that technical mastermind Adrian Newey flourished at Red Bull en route to designing cars that won eight drivers' titles and six constructors' titles.

"Adrian left McLaren and went to Red Bull, where he was given the freedom by Christian. He created the environment in which Newey was able to breathe and flourish. Once you’ve got Adrian breathing freely and easily, you get the best out of him. And that's what Ferrari haven't quite been able to achieve yet. They haven't got that one person, I who is that leader. You need the management to be able to attract that right person and then give them that freedom to do what they want," the Briton added.

In recent weeks, Ferrari has lost top technical talent to rival teams, including Wolf Zimmerman, the chief of the team's 2026 engine efforts, and his deputy, Lars Schmidt, who are now with Audi.

The "biggest problem" with Ferrari's F1 team that Christian Horner would want to change

Christian Horner at the F1 British Grand Prix - Source: Getty

In 2023, Christian Horner pointed out the "biggest problem" that Ferrari has had in F1. The then-Red Bull Team Principal highlighted that the Scuderia had become a "national team" instead of a racing outfit.

He compared it with Red Bull, explaining how Ferrari lacked the ability to take swift action because of a variety of senior leaders wanting their inputs to be implemented. In an appearance on the Eff Won with DRS podcast, he said:

"I think the biggest problem for Ferrari is that it’s a national team," Horner said via PlanetF1. "It needs to get back to being a race team. It’s an Italian institution and there’s probably too many people at the top end. Everybody has an input and has a say." "From the outside looking in, one of our (Red Bull's) strengths is that we move quickly, we make decisions, and we stick to them. And if we make the wrong decision, we change the decision. I think, for Ferrari, the newspapers have such an influence on what happens there," the Briton added.

Christian Horner recently finalized his Red Bull termination, reportedly earning a $100 million payout. He will be free to begin working in F1 again sometime in the first half of 2026 after serving a gardening leave.

Edited by Yash Kotak