Lewis Hamilton has made it clear that the recent wave of speculation linking Christian Horner to Ferrari has done the Scuderia no favours, admitting the rumours have been a “distraction” for a team focused on building its future.
The seven-time world champion’s comments come amid recent reports suggesting Ferrari chairman John Elkann has held informal talks with the former Red Bull team principal, who left the Milton Keynes-based outfit last summer with a severance package that would allow him to return to Formula 1 in mid-2026.
Despite Ferrari recently extending team boss Frédéric Vasseur’s contract, whispers of a potential power shake-up have gained traction in recent days – something Hamilton was quick to downplay ahead of this weekend’s US Grand Prix.
Nothing But a Distraction
“I don’t know where the rumours have come from, so I can’t shed much light on that,” Hamilton said on Thursday at the Circuit of the Americas.
“It’s a little bit distracting for us as a team. The team have made it clear where they stand in terms of re-signing Fred.
“Fred and I and the whole team are working really hard on the future for the team, so these things naturally aren’t helpful. I know everyone back at the factory is working incredibly hard and these rumours can be distracting.
©RedBull
“For me, it’s important to keep the focus on the goal that we’re building on for next year’s car, continuing to build a foundation on this year so that next year we can have better execution and better overall performance.
“As I said back in Spa, we’re having lots of meetings to make sure we’re sailing in the right direction.”
While speculation linking Horner to Maranello makes for juicy off-track headlines, the chances of such a move materialising remain slim.
Ferrari’s hierarchy has repeatedly reaffirmed its faith in Vasseur, who is widely credited with stabilising the team after a turbulent few years.
With Hamilton and Vasseur steering a united front into Formula 1’s 2026 regulation overhaul, Ferrari’s ambitions ultimately rest on evolution, not upheaval – and that makes a Horner switch unlikely in the extreme.
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook
