Christian Horner’s next move in Formula 1 has now taken on the air of a soap opera, with everyone except Johnny Herbert knowing the ending. The former Formula 1 driver and Sky pundit has once again dusted off his crystal ball to offer his “exclusive insight” into Ferrari’s troubles and who should lead the team. His latest pearl of wisdom? Ferrari should replace Fred Vasseur with Christian Horner.
Horner, the man currently licking his wounds after being ousted from Red Bull, and reportedly plotting a comeback not just as team boss, but as team owner and shareholder.
It seems that Herbert hasn’t noticed this crucial detail, but then again, attention to detail was never his strong suit on Sky Sports.
Ferrari’s familiar malaise
Ferrari’s 2025 campaign has been as uplifting as a wet weekend in Monza. McLaren are surging ahead, Red Bull remain headline magnets even without Horner, and Charles Leclerc spends more time explaining what went wrong than celebrating what went right. With Leclerc in fifth place and Hamilton close behind, frustration is mounting at Maranello with news that a crisis meeting has been held this week after Singapore.
Leclerc recently complained that “every team is making progress except us”, a sentiment that could easily serve as Ferrari’s company motto.
The tifosi are restless, Italian media are out for blood, and once again, armchair experts are proposing radical solutions.
Enter Johnny Herbert, waving a metaphorical betting slip and declaring that what Ferrari really needs is Christian Horner. Because nothing says ‘stability’ like hiring a recently sacked Red Bull boss with a tabloid scandal in his recent past.
Herbert’s formula for success
In his latest article for bettinglounge.co.uk (because nothing says ‘credibility’ like gambling odds next to your byline), Herbert said that Ferrari should have tried harder to sign Adrian Newey.
This is an observation as daring as saying ‘rain is wet’.
Newey, the design genius behind a generation of dominant cars, has already joined Aston Martin, fulfilling what he once called a ‘boyhood dream’, though one suspects it was more about the generous salary and shares in the Aston Martin F1 team.
Nevertheless, Herbert insists that Ferrari missed their chance, and that their next best option is to hire Horner.
“I like Frédéric Vasseur a lot,” Herbert explained diplomatically, “but maybe they should get someone who knows how to develop a winning formula.” That’s one way of saying, ‘I’ve got no clue what’s actually happening behind the scenes.’
One can imagine Horner’s reaction: sitting by the pool with an espresso, reading Herbert’s column and muttering, ‘Winning formula? I was the formula.’ Because, for all his flaws, Horner’s track record in F1 management is undeniable.
However, sources across the paddock report that his ambitions are far grander this time, he doesn’t want to slot back into the paddock hierarchy as an employee. Much like Newey, Horner wants equity, ownership and control. In short, he wants to be Formula 1’s next mogul, not its next middle manager.
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The Horner renaissance
Indeed, multiple reports now paint a clear picture: Horner has been quietly sniffing around the sport for opportunities involving more than just a desk and a team radio. Since his dramatic departure from Red Bull in July, he has held talks with investors and intermediaries about potentially buying into or funding a new team.
Although he would never admit as much, Horner is said to be modelling himself on figures such as Lawrence Stroll and Toto Wolff, men who have turned wealth and influence into lasting power within the sport. For Horner, a return as a mere team principal would be akin to asking a king to reapply for his old job as court jester.
So Herbert’s Ferrari fantasy is falling apart faster than a front wing at Eau Rouge. Horner isn’t angling to replace Fred Vasseur; he’s angling to own a team like Vasseur’s one day. This difference makes all the talk of a ‘Ferrari rescue mission’ sound more like filler content written between Premier League fixtures.
Herbert’s history of half-truths
Of course, none of this should come as a surprise. His post-racing career has been a masterclass in how to stay visible in F1 without ever being relevant. After Sky Sports quietly declined to renew his contract in 2023 (possibly due to his ‘unique’ analytical style), he moved into online punditry and became an ambassador for betting sites, where clickability takes precedence over accuracy.
Even the FIA grew weary of his commentary crossover.
In early 2025, he was removed from his role as an FIA driver steward, as the governing body deemed it a conflict of interest to openly speculate on active F1 politics while also officiating the races. It was akin to having the referee bet on who would get the next yellow card.
However, undeterred, Herbert continues to write his ‘Formula for Success’ columns, which increasingly resemble the kind of pub chat you might overhear after a few pints, entertaining, certainly, but not something you’d base a business strategy on.
The Ferrari dilemma
Still, buried beneath the noise is an uncomfortable truth: Ferrari are adrift again. The SF-25 promised progress, but it’s more déjà vu with a new HP paint job.
The team’s structure under Vasseur is arguably more coherent than in the Binotto era, yet performance remains elusive. Ferrari’s execution has improved: their pit stops are cleaner and their strategy calls are less suicidal. And yet, the raw pace simply isn’t there.
Herbert’s point that Ferrari “have all the ingredients” is fair enough. They have Leclerc and Hamilton, two world-class drivers. They have resources that most teams would kill for. What they lack is consistency, or perhaps a sense of identity. Every year brings a new ‘reset’ in Maranello, and somehow, every reset ends with them resetting again.
In that sense, Herbert’s argument that they need ‘someone who knows how to build a winning car’ has been repeated since the Schumacher era. The irony, of course, is that Horner’s own success at Red Bull came largely from the freedom he gave to Newey, the very man that Ferrari failed to secure. It’s like trying to hire the orchestra conductor after losing the composer.
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The comedy of contradictions!
There’s a certain tragicomedy to it all: Herbert is calling for Horner to save Ferrari, while Horner is trying to make Ferrari his competitor. Ferrari extend Vasseur’s contract while pundits speculate about his replacement. Leclerc is publicly losing patience, while Hamilton insists the team “know what they need to do” and appears to be eyeing up an exit strategy.
And throughout it all, Johnny Herbert continues to write, providing his betting site paymasters with their weekly dose of opinion pieces. After all, it’s a living, one might even call it the safest bet he’s made in years.
The real question now isn’t whether Ferrari should hire Christian Horner, but whether he would even take their call. Why would a man whose career has been defined by control trade his own ambitions of ownership for a desk in Maranello and the privilege of answering to John Elkann?
Perhaps Herbert imagines Horner sweeping into Ferrari and fixing everything with a spreadsheet and a pep talk. But this isn’t 2009, and Ferrari’s problems aren’t managerial, they’re cultural. They don’t need a boss, they need a revolution. And if he gets his way, Horner might just start one elsewhere.
The jury’s verdict?
Ultimately, Johnny Herbert’s latest insights read like a rerun of an old Sky Sports segment: nostalgic, slightly inaccurate, and mildly entertaining if not taken too seriously. Meanwhile, Christian Horner is plotting something far grander: a return not to the pit wall, but to the boardroom.
Ferrari, for all their storied legacy, might want to stop listening to former pundits and start rethinking their future. As for Herbert, one suspects his next column will feature Horner and/or Ferrari again – because why let facts get in the way of a good wager?
What do you think, jury? Is Herbert on to something, or is this just another bet that’s destined not to pay out?
MORE F1 NEWS – How Max Verstappen Could Still Win the 2025 F1 Championship, the Maths
With Formula 1 approaching its climax, the championship picture, while seemingly dominated by the colours orange and papaya, still offers a glimmer of hope to one man: Max Verstappen. According to a recent Reddit post containing race-by-race projections, there is still a mathematical way for the Dutchman to reclaim his Drivers’ Championship title. It’s improbable, but not impossible.
The chart, originally credited to @F1GuyDan, shows how Verstappen could surpass the McLaren duo, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, in the remaining six Grands Prix and three sprint races. In this hypothetical scenario, Verstappen would need to win almost every remaining race while hoping that the McLaren drivers falter at crucial moments.
While the numbers may appear optimistic, former F1 driver Johnny Herbert noted this week that “if anyone could pull off one of the greatest comebacks in Formula 1 history, it’s Max”…READ MORE ON THIS STORY
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