Pundits pleads Ferrari to fire Fred Vasseur for Christian Horner

Former F1 driver turned pundit Johnny Herbert has urged Ferrari to replace Fred Vasseur at the helm of the team with Christian Horner. The Briton is a free agent and has a massive CV backing his candidature, owing to his vast success at Red Bull after taking the team seemingly from rags to riches.

Horner became the youngest team principal in F1 in 2005 when he was handed the keys to the Milton Keynes-based squad under the Red Bull banner. His leadership and the efforts by fellow personnel took the Austrian squad from being a backmarker to the benchmark in F1.

On the other hand, since Red Bull won its first title in 2010, the Maranello-based squad has not won a single title in the following 14-plus years. During this time, the Austrian squad had amassed eight drivers' and six constructors' titles.

Though Fred Vasseur has already signed a multi-year contract extension with the prancing horses, with Horner and Red Bull splitting up, Herbert argued that Horner is the missing leader that could take Ferrari back to its heights, as he said (via Formula Passion):

"Ferrari’s main focus must be [Christian] Horner. Drivers aren’t a problem at all, the car lacks speed. They haven’t yet managed to attract the people they need to produce a car that performs on the track. When Newey left McLaren, Horner convinced him to accept the challenge at Red Bull and created an environment where Newey could breathe and thrive. When you put Newey in these conditions, you get the best out of him." "And that’s exactly what Ferrari hasn’t yet managed to achieve. They lack a leader; management needs to be able to attract the right person and then give them the freedom to do what they want . I know Vasseur signed a new contract recently, but if things start off badly next year, then something will have to be done."

Fred Vasseur has been heading the Italian giant in F1 since the 2023 season.

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Fred Vasseur claims winning with Ferrari is a different thing altogether in the F1 realm

Fred Vasseur at the 2025 F1 Grand Prix of Netherlands - Source: Getty

Fred Vasseur has headed multiple teams in his time in the sport. However, the stakes that come with donning the prancing horse badge are often humongous.

But, achieving those expectations provides a reward that cannot be matched, as the Frenchman revealed (via F1's official website):

"If you're able to win in F1, it is mega, but to win with Ferrari is something very exciting."

Meanwhile, since Vasseur has taken command of the Italian squad, the team has secured six race wins since 2023. Its best finish in the constructors' standings, under Vasseur's reign, came last year as they ended the season in second, 14 points behind McLaren.

Edited by Geetansh Pasricha