Why a Christian Horner-Ferrari marriage is not even on the table

Former Red Bull leader Christian Horner's future is going to be a topic that many will discuss for a while, and so will his possible marriage with Ferrari. The Brit is arguably one of the most exemplary achievers as a team boss of the modern era. He's won championships in three different regulations, as he won from 2010 to 2013 in the V8s, then he did so in 2021 with the turbo hybrids, and this was followed by the triumph in the ground effect era.

He knows how to build a team and achieve success with it. One team that hasn't tasted any of it since 2008 is Ferrari. John Elkann is a big fan of Horner and reportedly went to his home in 2022 to persuade him to join the team. It is often said that it was Horner who pointed Elkann in the direction of Fred Vasseur, who is now the team boss at the Italian team.

While recent reports suggest that Ferrari's interest in Christian Horner has cooled down because of what happened with him at Red Bull, the pedigree is still there, and one cannot ignore the impact the Briton had at Milton Keynes. With that being said, it's highly unlikely that the partnership ever comes to life. Let's take a look.

Christian Horner's next move could be with skin in the game as an owner

It's safe to say that if Christian Horner does make a return to F1, then it would not be without any kind of ownership or stake within the team. Whichever team he's going to be a part of, he's going to have some kind of ownership for sure. The Brit was part of Red Bull for more than two decades, and it has been reported that one of the reasons why things started to go south at the team was Horner's insistence on wanting a stake in the team.

Horner has already done two decades in the sport, and he's been a part of the paddock for a long time. With 14 titles in the bag, he is arguably one of the greatest team bosses in F1 history. While that is true, what's also true is that with Red Bull, he was still just an employee, and when he comes back to any team, it won't be just as an employee but as someone with a seat at the table.

Unfortunately, Ferrari is just not a team that's either going to give him that privilege or that freedom, and the role on the table is always going to be of someone who's just an employee. When that's the case, it's arguably a dealbreaker for someone like Christian Horner, who already knows how it feels to do the bulk of the work but not have the power that should come with it.

Ferrari hasn't shown signs of being a stable team

When we talk about Ferrari and how this outfit has not won in the sport for close to two decades, the reason behind it is known by almost everyone. This is a squad that has been marred not only by internal politics but also by an overbearing control of the board that hurts the operation.

The problem with having a board's excessive meddling in the operations of a team is that it ends up making a squad less efficient. F1 as a sport is one where lead times are long. The changes you make today take years to show the results. For the boards, however, that's not how they run business, and things are judged quarter to quarter. This is precisely why someone like Fred Vasseur's position is under threat, even though he has kept things more or less stable within the team.

Christian Horner is someone who has obviously seen how Ferrari operates and how the team's success is often thwarted by its own actions. Since 2009, while the Italian team hasn't won anything, the Brit has racked up 14 titles. What's going on within the team right now and the manner in which pressure is being put on Fred Vasseur is something that's not hidden from anyone.

This is precisely the environment that someone like Horner would want to avoid as he plots his return to the sport.

The tension between Christian Horner and Lewis Hamilton

While there hasn't been a direct rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Christian Horner, it's undeniable that their interactions on the grid have been quite intense. Be it the 2021 F1 season when the Brit was battling against Max Verstappen, or be it Horner revealing that Hamilton had reached out to Red Bull before extending his Mercedes contract, the two have had clashes in the past.

To add to this, Hamilton has made it clear that his joining Ferrari was primarily influenced by Fred Vasseur's presence within the team. If the Frenchman himself is replaced, then that's something that the Brit may not be on board with, which could lead to further friction.

Edited by Charanjot Singh Kohli