‘Our position is clear’: Ferrari slams the door on axed F1 principal
Ferrari has delivered a clear warning to ousted Red Bull team principal Christian Horner - stop distracting the team.
In an unusual media briefing on Wednesday (AEST) ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix, Ferrari moved to settle the debates regarding its leadership, publicly reaffirming its commitment to team principal Fred Vasseur.
Vasseur has been backed by Ferrari as Horner lurks in the background. Mark Sutton
“In the recent days there has been increasing speculation surrounding Scuderia Ferrari HP and particularly dedicated to its leadership,” said Ferrari’s chief communication officer Maria Conti.
"So Ferrari’s position is clear, [it] has not changed.
“Ferrari has made its choices already. We have full confidence in Fred Vasseur and in his team and we continue to do so. At this time, it’s really important that the team remains united and cohesive, and we focused all the energy on the work ahead.”
This statement follows recent comments from Horner to The Times paper where he described Ferrari as a “dream” destination and the only team in the F1 paddock he would consider joining without an ownership stake.
As Ferrari endures an underwhelming campaign with only two grand prix victories and no podiums in their last five races, 2026 hasn’t been anything to write home about.
But the team understood that by leaving the door open for paddock rumours to be fuelled, they needed to pour water on the rumours firing up that Horner had any connection with Ferrari.
“Ferrari has always attracted extraordinary interest and it’s only natural that many professionals aspire to be part of it. It is a reflection of the strength of what Ferrari really represents,” Conti continued.
“This is why we really want to avoid, and we do not intend to fuel, speculation or comment on assumption coming from outside the company.
“We are doing that today because we would like to avoid that the next weekend in Malaysia will be focused only on this kind of gossip and speculation. We would like to be focused on the race, on the performance, on the team, on Fred.”
F1 is back in Malaysia
The Scuderia’s determination to shut down the noise comes just days before Formula 1 makes a highly anticipated return to Sepang.
Malaysia is operating as a last-minute addition to the calendar under the rather convoluted alias of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Max Verstappen took the top step during the track’s last appearance on the calendar in 2017, but it was Australian Daniel Ricciardo’s 2016 victory that remains infamous.
Bringing the Aussie shoey onto the podium for the first time, many Ricciardo fans got rowdy down at the podium celebrations, including the Budgie Nine.
Nine Australian fans stripped down to Malaysian-flag-printed swimwear and were filmed also partaking in shoeys - landing them a public nuisance charge.
They spent four nights in jail and narrowly escaped any further or harsher prosecution, eventually apologising in a Malaysian court and deported home to Australia.
“It sounds like they have learned their lesson, and I don’t think they will be doing that again any time soon in Malaysia,” Ricciardo said.
The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia will start on October 2, with the race set for October 4, 6pm AEST.
