Ferrari has reaffirmed its support for team principal Frederic Vasseur amid speculation about his position and reports that former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner would be interested in joining the Formula 1 team. The statement was delivered by chief communication officer Maria Conti during a hastily convened media call on behalf of chairman John Elkann and chief executive officer Benedetto Vigna.

“Ferrari's position is clear,” Conti said. “It will not change. l am officially saying - I don't have John here with me, but Ferrari has made its choice. There is confidence in Fred and his team. Nothing has changed.”

Vasseur has led Ferrari since 2023, after the team removed former principal Mattia Binotto. Binotto’s tenure had begun with a strong showing under the previous regulations in 2022, followed by a downturn marked by reliability problems and questionable operational decisions. Vasseur joined Ferrari at the start of 2023 and signed a new contract in July last year. Ferrari described it as “a multi-year contract for the coming Formula 1 seasons” but did not disclose its length.

Ferrari began the 2026 season hoping its preparations for extensive changes to car and engine rules would make it a championship contender. Its chassis was regarded as the best in Formula 1 at the start of the season, but the engine has not matched the performance of Mercedes and Red Bull.

After 15 races in a scheduled 23-round season, Ferrari is second in the constructors’ championship, 160 points behind leaders Mercedes. The team is also focused on defending second place from McLaren, which is third and 72 points behind Ferrari.

The speculation about Vasseur’s future has drawn attention away from the team’s championship position, he said after the race in Baku. “We are not working in the perfect serenity. For me, first, but for everybody in the team, for the media, for 50% of the questions [to be] about this, it's a bit of a frustrating situation.”

“We are fighting for P2 in the championship, and at the end of the day we are all speaking a lot about this, and even for the guys in the garage, to discuss about this, it's the best discussion that we can have.”

Vasseur said the rumours were beyond his control and pointed to Horner’s search for a job. “But it is what it is - it's not in my hands. Mr Horner is looking for a job - that everybody knows - everywhere.” He added: “But what can I do? Just try to do my best to push the team, to rise them to be motivated.”

On Saturday after the race, Lewis Hamilton was asked whether he remained confident Ferrari was heading in the right direction under Vasseur. He answered: “Yes.”

Based on reporting by BBC Sport.