Schumacher says Horner has ’no class’

Ralf Schumacher has launched a fierce attack on Christian Horner, accusing the former Red Bull boss of embarrassing himself with his Ferrari overtures and of rewriting history in his new book.

Horner last week described Ferrari as his "dream" Formula 1 destination, but Schumacher told Sky Deutschland that the public approach was in bad taste.

"To try so hard to curry favour is embarrassing enough," the former F1 driver started.

"If he were truly interested, or if Ferrari were interested, they wouldn’t do it this way. Therefore, it’s simply a disgrace."

Schumacher was even more critical of Horner’s attacks on former Red Bull colleagues, particularly Dr Helmut Marko.

"When you talk about class, Christian Horner is not the first person to come to mind," said the German.

"He’s really a little street fighter, you can safely describe him as that."

Horner’s book claims Marko initially did not want Max Verstappen because father Jos was a "nightmare", while Horner has also criticised Adrian Newey and described his relationship with Marko in increasingly bitter terms.

Schumacher flatly disputes the Verstappen version.

"I find it unacceptable that he’s now lashing out at Marko like that, because the story is just completely made up," he said.

"As far as I know the official and unofficial story, Verstappen had already been approached by Marko at the age of eleven. Years later they met again in Formula 3 and since then they form a unit."

"That has little to do with Horner."

Schumacher said Horner appears to be trying to put himself back into the spotlight after his Red Bull departure.

"He was and is one of the most successful team bosses in Formula 1," he admitted. "Now he’s trying to sell a few books and tickets for his tour, but this does reflect exactly his character."

"It’s really below all levels against his former colleagues and Red Bull."

If Ferrari ultimately does replace Frederic Vasseur, Schumacher believes Andreas Seidl would be a better fit than Horner.

"Andreas Seidl would be a great alternative for Ferrari in terms of character," he said. "He would be a good choice for Ferrari if Vasseur is even up for discussion."

Former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos strongly disagrees.

Speaking on the Pit Talk podcast, he said Horner remains the obvious candidate if Ferrari decides to change direction.

"His record needs no explanation," said the Dutchman. "He is definitely the right man for the job."

Doornbos said Horner would need to repeat the aggressive recruitment strategy that built Red Bull into a championship-winning force.

"He has to send blank cheques and say to those people ’I need you’."

And on Ferrari’s current leadership, he added: "They have to say (to Vasseur): you have had your chance. Now we give someone else a go."