Ferrari backed Vasseur amid Horner speculation
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 2, 2026
Hamilton backed Vasseur
Lewis Hamilton backed Fred Vasseur as Ferrari faced fresh speculation about its future. Hamilton said Vasseur “really is the guy to take this team in the right direction” and pointed to Ferrari’s climb to second in the constructors’ championship as a clear step forward from last year. He also said the criticism around Ferrari has worn on him, calling the negativity frustrating and saying the team draws a harsher wave of backlash than other Formula 1 outfits. Hamilton added that he has ideas for structural changes at Ferrari, but he would not discuss them publicly. The message from the team matched his stance. Ferrari president John Elkann and CEO Benedetto Vigna said the team fully supported Vasseur, and Ferrari then issued a statement backing its team principal and saying nothing had changed about his position. The combination of Hamilton’s public support and Ferrari’s formal backing gave Vasseur a strong show of confidence at a time when the paddock kept circling around his future.
Horner comments fueled talk
Christian Horner added another layer to the conversation when he said Ferrari was “the dream” and the only team where he would accept a non-ownership role. That line gave fresh life to speculation around Ferrari and Vasseur, even though the team had already moved to reinforce its support for the current boss. Horner’s comments landed with extra force. Ferrari had spent plenty of time under the microscope this season, and the remarks from Horner only sharpened the debate about how the team’s leadership might look if the market ever shifted. The talk also fed wider paddock chatter. Horner’s description of Ferrari as “the dream” made that chatter louder, and it pushed Vasseur’s position back into the center of the discussion even after Ferrari had already said its stance had not changed.
Coulthard, Steiner and Brundle weighed in
David Coulthard brushed aside the idea of Horner landing at Ferrari in the short term, saying that a move “ain’t happening” and calling the Horner-to-Ferrari chatter a distraction. He also made the case for Vasseur, saying the Ferrari team principal is capable of leading the team and questioning whether he can fairly be blamed for Ferrari’s shortcomings. Coulthard’s view lined up with the support Ferrari had already shown its boss, and it added a former driver’s voice to a debate that had moved well beyond simple rumor. Guenther Steiner took the same basic position, saying there was not space for both Horner and Vasseur at Ferrari and that the scenario was “not going to happen.” Steiner said Vasseur was a successful team principal, had a contract and had no reason to leave Ferrari. Martin Brundle also poured cold water on the idea, saying Horner is not interested in joining Ferrari right now and is not focused on any Formula 1 role at the moment. Taken together, the reactions from Coulthard, Steiner and Brundle pulled the story back toward Vasseur’s standing inside the team and away from the speculation that Horner’s comments had stirred up.
