Ferrari is once again teetering on the brink of chaos, a dance that the team seems to have perfected in recent years. The 2025 Formula 1 season has not been kind to Maranello, nor have the fans. From Grand Prix to Grand Prix, the scarlet cars glide elegantly but aimlessly, collecting points more slowly than Ferrari collects managerial rumours.
Fred Vasseur, the man at the helm, is apparently steering through stormy waters, one hand on the wheel and the other shielding his face from the barrage of criticism.
A few months ago, Ferrari extended Vasseur’s contract amid great optimism and press releases. However, as the team continues to underperform, his contract is looking more and more like a candidate for the recycling bin. The Scuderia’s motto might as well be ‘In Fred we trust — until we don’t.’ And lately, trust has been in short supply.
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Whispers in Maranello
The whispers from Italy have taken on a life of their own. Reports of crisis meetings and emergency espressos in Maranello are now joined by the ghostly name of Christian Horner.
Christian Horner, who spent years orchestrating Red Bull’s dominance, and who was shown the exit door faster than you can say ‘internal investigation’. Rumour has it that Horner could be Ferrari’s knight in shining armour, ready to trade energy drinks for espresso shots.
Hamilton’s reaction: an eye roll in words
Lewis Hamilton, however, isn’t convinced. When asked whether Horner could solve Ferrari’s problems, the seven-time world champion, still stylishly unflappable at 40, responded with the verbal equivalent of an eye roll: “I don’t think so.”
That was it. No drama, no drawn-out speech. Hamilton simply did what he does best: calmly dismissing chaos while probably wondering how his life went from Mercedes champagne to Ferrari Chianti without the podiums to match.
Later on Sky Sports, he elaborated slightly, though one suspects he wished he hadn’t. ‘I don’t know where it’s coming from,’ he said, clearly bemused by Horner’s suggestion. ‘It’s a distraction for us as a team.’
In other words, Hamilton has no patience for fairy tales, especially those concocted by the Italian press.
Ferrari’s “clear” direction
He reminded everyone that Ferrari had already “made it clear where it stands” by extending Vasseur’s contract. A diplomatic way of saying: ‘We just signed the man; could we at least let him unpack before firing him?’
Hamilton went on: “Fred, I, and the entire racing team are working very hard on Ferrari’s future. Things like this aren’t helpful.” Translation: ‘Please stop making my life harder than it already is.”
It’s hard not to feel a twinge of sympathy. Hamilton joined Ferrari amid great fanfare and high hopes, but instead of rewriting history, he seems to be stuck in a repeat of Ferrari’s greatest hits: high expectations, low results, and enough internal intrigue to fill an entire season of Netflix.
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The likely reality
Meanwhile, the thought of Horner swapping Milton Keynes for Maranello is as tantalising as it is absurd: the man who once mocked Ferrari’s inefficiency is now being asked to fix it. The man who once mocked Ferrari’s inefficiency is now being asked to fix it. Even Hollywood would struggle to sell that script.
So, while Hamilton insists he doesn’t know where the rumour came from, perhaps the answer is simple: it came from the same place all Ferrari rumours come from, the realm of desperation and denial.
And until Ferrari finds its form, that realm will remain well populated. As always, the jury is invited to deliberate: could Horner ever survive the red circus, or is this just another Italian opera with too many conductors and not enough music?
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MORE F1 NEWS – Verstappen now ahead of the maths game for F1 title after last 3 Grand Prix
Max Verstappen was a massive 104 points behind Oscar Piastri just before the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. Yet wins at the Italian Grand Prix and in Baku and a second place in Singapore has significantly turned around his hoper of a record-equaling fifth consecutive world championship.
Piastri and McLaren have dropped the ball on a number of occasions, and the team’s policy of treating their drivers fairly has hurt the Australian, who many argue should have been backed by the team from Woking to win this year’s championship.
Max has reeled in Oscar by 13.7 points across this three-race series and now needs just 10.5 points more than the McLaren driver across each of the remaining six weekends to claim the title and break the papaya fans’ hearts.
If Verstappen were to win all the remaining Grand Prix and Piastri were to finish no higher than third on average, the Dutchman would record the biggest comeback in F1 history by a title-winning driver. Of course, this is a tall order, but McLaren seem happy to allow the Dutchman to charge into their points lead…READ MORE ON THIS STORY
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
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