Vasseur hits back at Horner’s Ferrari comments

Frederic Vasseur has hit back at Christian Horner after the former Red Bull boss openly described Ferrari as his "dream" Formula 1 job.

Horner told The Times that Ferrari is the only team he would consider joining without an ownership stake, calling Maranello "the sleeping giant of Formula 1".

Vasseur was unimpressed.

"Christian Horner has been looking for a job for some time now," he said after the Baku GP.

"Ultimately, things are the way they are. It’s not easy to work in this atmosphere and have to answer the same questions 25 times a day - for me and for everyone on the team."

"Of course, that takes its toll and is quite draining."

Speaking to Sky Italia after Saturday’s race in the Azerbaijan capital, the Frenchman said the constant speculation is affecting more than just him.

"We don’t work in a completely calm atmosphere," said Vasseur.

"This primarily concerns me, but it also concerns the entire team. I find it quite frustrating that 50 percent of the media’s questions are devoted to this topic."

"We’re fighting for second place in the championship, but in the end, everyone talks about this very thing."

He then took a direct swipe at Horner.

"Mr. Horner is looking for work - everyone knows that - anywhere."

"And what can I do? Just try my best to move the team forward, keep them motivated, and focus on what’s really important right now."

When asked about potentially working alongside Horner, Vasseur replied sarcastically: "You’ll have to ask my assistant."

Former Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene also warned against believing Horner could solve the team’s problems alone.

"At Ferrari, one person won’t change anything," he said.

"The arrival of a manager with as many titles as Horner has won would be more of a negative than a positive, as it would create even higher expectations."

"Besides, we’d have to start from scratch."

Lewis Hamilton also backed Vasseur when asked in Baku whether Ferrari remains on the right path under the Frenchman. "Yes," was his simple response.

Former F1 driver Timo Glock, meanwhile, criticised Horner for putting his name into the Ferrari discussion publicly.

"That’s really not the done thing, to get himself talked about through the media like that and unsettle Ferrari," he told Sky Deutschland.