Herbert: ‘Ferrari’s 'prime target' has to be Christian Horner

Ferrari’s dreams of Formula 1 glory have been stuck in neutral since their last Constructors’ championship in 2008, and former F1 driver Johnny Herbert is sounding the alarm with a provocative suggestion: the Scuderia should roll out the red carpet for ex-Red Bull mastermind Christian Horner.

The Italian outfit’s latest campaign has fallen flat. Eighteen rounds into 2025, the team remains winless and sits third in the Constructors’ standings behind champions McLaren and Mercedes.

Even with Lewis Hamilton’s arrival and a renewed push for glory, the team looks no closer to ending a drought that stretches back seventeen years.

Team principal Fred Vasseur recently signed a contract extension – a move meant to stabilize the operation – but the on-track results remain underwhelming.

Furthermore, the mood inside the Ferrari garage has reportedly become as tense as a tightly wound spring, with whispers of discord following the Singapore Grand Prix and questions swirling about Charles Leclerc’s long-term future with the team.

Herbert’s Case for Horner

Speaking to BettingLounge, Herbert made his opinion crystal clear: if Ferrari are serious about a turnaround, they need Horner at the helm.

“Their prime target has to be Christian,” the Briton said. “The team has all the ingredients they need. They just haven’t been able to put them together.

“They’ve got the drivers so there’s no argument on that front. They have probably overcome a lot of those mistakes, pit stop mistakes, strategy mistakes that they used to make.

“But the pure raw pace of the car is not there. So, you need someone but they still haven’t been able to attract the people that they need to be able to produce the car that is good on track.

“Adrian [Newey] left McLaren and went to Red Bull where he was given the freedom by Christian. He created the environment in which Newey was able to breathe and flourish.

“Once you’ve got Adrian breathing freely and easily, you get the best out of him.

“And that’s what Ferrari haven’t quite been able to achieve yet. They haven’t got that one person who is that leader. You need the management to be able to attract that right person and then give them that freedom to do what they want.

“I know Fred signed a new contract recently, but if it really starts poorly again next year, and they’re still in the same position as they have been for the last couple of years, then something will have to be done.”

A Long Shot at Best

Herbert’s logic has its appeal – after all, Horner’s record speaks for itself. The Briton led Red Bull through two dominant eras, building championship-winning machines around Sebastian Vettel and later Max Verstappen.

But the notion of him turning Ferrari around is, at best, optimistic.

For one, Horner has already turned down an offer from Ferrari in the past. It’s also believed that any return to Formula 1 would only come if he were offered an ownership stake or significant shareholding in a team — a condition Ferrari’s corporate structure makes virtually impossible.

Add to that the likelihood that the Horner family wouldn’t be keen on relocating to Italy, and Herbert’s “prime target” starts to look more like wishful thinking than a realistic plan.

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Still, the former Grand Prix driver’s call underscores a growing frustration among Ferrari’s faithful.

With the team stuck in a holding pattern despite a star-studded lineup and improved operations, the longing for a strong, visionary leader at the top of Maranello’s hierarchy is understandable.

Whether that leader could ever be Christian Horner, however, remains a fantasy that belongs more to F1’s rumor mill than its reality.

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