F1 Today | Horner to Ferrari? Vasseur clarifies race engineer 'ignoring' Hamilton

During the Monaco Grand Prix, what was a palpable sense of tension could be felt at Ferrari, what with how team communications were going between Lewis Hamilton and race engineer Riccardo Adami. Team Principal Frederic Vasseur addressed the rumours after the race in Monte-Carlo.

Speaking to various media sources, including GPblog, after the race in which Hamilton placed 5th, Vasseur was asked about the potential tensions that could indeed be brewing between the Briton and 'the voice in his head during races.'

Why did Adami then no respond to Hamilton, if whether he was upset with the 7-time world champion or not?

"Because when the driver is asking something between turn 1 and turn 3 we have to wait the tunel to reply to avoid to speak with him during the corners," said Vasseur.

The Frenchman then defended the dynamics at Ferrari fiercely. "It's not that we are sleeping. It's not that we are having a beer on the pit wall. It's just because we have a section of the track where we agreed before to speak with him."

According to Bild, Ferrari made an exploratory approach to Horner in recent weeks, possibly due to the team’s continued inconsistency in performance. While Charles Leclerc finished second in Monaco and Lewis Hamilton came fourth in Imola following his sprint victory in China, the pressure on the team remains high. After just eight Grands Prix, both world titles already appear out of reach, which is reportedly causing dissatisfaction within Ferrari’s upper management.

Even if the reports are accurate, a move seems highly improbable. Horner has been a cornerstone at Red Bull for nearly two decades and has led the team to a total of fourteen world titles—eight drivers’ championships and six constructors’ titles. He is also contracted with the Milton Keynes-based F1 team through 2030, where he serves not only as team principal but also as CEO.

This isn’t the first time Horner has been linked to Ferrari. Earlier in his career, he is said to have turned down an offer from Maranello. The current situation also appears to be more of an exploratory contact rather than the start of formal negotiations or a genuine prospect of departure. Such conversations are common in the F1 world between teams, drivers, and key personnel.

Whether Ferrari is seriously considering a change in its management structure remains unclear. What does seem almost certain is that Horner will still be on Red Bull’s pit wall well beyond 2025.