Ferrari have publicly backed team principal Frederic Vasseur, declaring "full confidence" in the Frenchman at a hastily arranged media briefing after Christian Horner's remarks renewed speculation over his future.
The Scuderia convened the briefing on Tuesday morning, 29 September, ahead of this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang in Malaysia, and used it to shut down talk of a change at the top of its Formula 1 operation.
"Ferrari's position is clear, has not changed, and Ferrari has made its choices already, and we have confidence, full confidence, in Fred Vasseur and in his team, and we continue to do so," a Ferrari spokeswoman said, as the team published the statement in full. "At this time and in this particular moment, it's really important that the team remains united and cohesive, and we are focused all the energy, on the work ahead."
The move was prompted by an interview with Horner published in The Times last week. The former Red Bull team principal said Ferrari were the only outfit he would consider returning to the pit wall for, even without the ownership stake he has made a priority for any comeback to the sport.
Vasseur's position had already come under pressure after a difficult summer. Speaking after last Saturday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, he admitted the team were "not working in perfect serenity" as rumours about his future circulated. Tuesday's statement, the spokeswoman said, answered not only the Horner piece in The Times but "stories that have been increasing, not dying down".
The backing extends to the top of the company. Asked whether Vasseur retained the full support of Ferrari chairman John Elkann and chief executive Benedetto Vigna, and whether he would see out the remainder of his contract, the spokeswoman simply repeated the team line: "Ferrari's position is clear and unchanged. Ferrari has made its choices, it has confidence in Fred Vasseur and we continue to do so."
Vasseur is in his fourth season in charge since joining from Sauber at the start of 2023, and signed a multi-year contract extension last year. On track, Ferrari have made progress under his leadership: after a winless 2025 campaign that ended with fourth place in the Constructors' Championship, they have taken two victories in 2026 and sit second in the standings. Their title challenge against Mercedes has faded in recent months, however, and they have not stood on the podium in the last five races.
The timing was deliberate. "We are doing that today, on Tuesday, 29th September, because we would like to avoid that in the next weekend in Malaysia being occupied only with this kind of gossip and speculation," the spokeswoman added. "Our focus now is on the work."
Sources
- https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/13593188/frederic-vasseur-ferrari-state-full-confidence-in-f1-team-principal-after-christian-horner-comments-and-speculation
- https://www.motorsportweek.com/2026/09/29/ferrari-fred-vasseur-christian-horner/
