Formula 1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia

Ferrari told replacing Fred Vasseur would be "absolutely ludicrous"

Will Buxton has urged Ferrari to retain Fred Vasseur as team principal, warning that replacing him would risk undoing the team’s recent progress

Lydia Mee

Published: Oct 1, 2026, 2:52 PM

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Frédéric Vasseur, Ferrari

Photo by: Eric Le Galliot

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Formula 1 broadcaster Will Buxton has warned Ferrari it would be "absolutely ludicrous" to replace team principal Fred Vasseur with Christian Horner, following intense paddock speculation regarding the former Red Bull chief's future.

Rumours linking Horner to Maranello accelerated after the Briton told The Times that Ferrari is the only team he would consider joining without an equity stake.

In response to the increased speculation, Ferrari issued a statement reaffirming its "full confidence" in Vasseur's leadership.

Discussing the situation on an episode of the Up To Speed podcast alongside former F1 driver David Coulthard, Buxton explained that the statement "rang alarm bells" for him.

"Over the last couple of days, Ferrari have come out and have attempted to unmuddy the waters by saying, 'Ferrari has made its choices and has full confidence in the leadership of Fred Vasseur and his team and we will continue to do so,'" Buxton said.

"Now that, for me, rings alarm bells because anytime in sport, be that Formula 1, be that football, be that anything, that you receive the full backing of the board, you may as well start packing up your desk. Because it's over, right? It's over. Full backing of the board means you're done."

Buxton added that it would be "absolutely ludicrous" to throw away Vasseur's work at this stage.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Joe Portlock / Getty Images

"It's Ferrari, right? So at points I would say expect the unexpected, but the unexpected would be that they make sensible decisions and stick with what they've got and back their guys and push it through to the conclusion," the former F1 TV presenter continued.

"What you would normally expect from Ferrari is for them to do something absolutely ludicrous and throw away all this hard work. So, I pray that that is not what they do, but given everything we know about Ferrari, I wouldn't be shocked to see them ring a change.

"Who that ultimately ends up being, I don't know. But I really, really, really, really hope that they stick with Fred and they see this through."

Vasseur joined Ferrari in 2023, replacing Mattia Binotto as team principal. In his first season with the team, it finished third in the constructors' championship. In 2024, it finished second, just 14 points behind McLaren, before slipping to fourth in 2025.

It currently sits second in the 2026 constructors' championship behind Mercedes.

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