Christian Horner’s ‘friend’ casts doubt over Ferrari deal in ‘image and distractions’ theory

In the wake of the shocking decision by Red Bull to fire longtime CEO and team principal Christian Horner, pundits have been trying to determine where the Briton could end up next.

Some have suggested a swap to Scuderia Ferrari, but Riccardo Patrese — former F1 driver and friend of Horner — has argued that the Prancing Horse would be the wrong choice.

Why Christian Horner would be the wrong choice for Ferrari

The news that longtime Red Bull Racing CEO and team principal Christian Horner would be sacked with immediate effect shortly after the conclusion of the British Grand Prix caught the Formula 1 world by surprise.

Horner had been with the team since its very entrance into the sport, dedicating 20 years to a pursuit of excellence that netted the outfit six constructors’ championships and eight drivers’ championships split between Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

Red Bull has declined to offer a detailed explanation for the decision, but many pundits have suggested it likely comes from a combination of the team’s lack of performance, Verstappen’s rumoured departure from the team, Horner’s inappropriate actions scandal, and the departure of many key personnel such as Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley.

So difficult is it to imagine Formula 1 without Horner that many pundits have taken to wondering where he’ll ply his trade next. Alpine seems the most likely option, though many have linked Horner to Scuderia Ferrari following rumours in the Italian press that current team principal Fred Vasseur has fallen out of favor with the higher-ups.

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However, Horner’s skill as a team principal cannot exist in a vacuum, and it’s the scandal that has surrounded his name of late that has friend and former F1 driver Ricardo Patrese skeptical that a swap to the Scuderia is possible.

“Horner is very good, but I think that all the stories from last year would be a problem,” Patrese told a betting website.

“He can put on the table his record over the last 20 years. He has a very good pedigree. But one year on, they are still talking about this story.”

The story in question is the scandal involving allegations of inappropriate conduct by a female employee. Though Horner was cleared of wrongdoing in an internal investigation, the allegations nevertheless raised ample questions about Horner’s capacities as team principal, resulting in men like Jos Verstappen calling for his sacking.

Despite rumours that Fred Vasseur is on thin ice, Patrese feels that Ferrari is actually quite stable, and that it wouldn’t want to upset that stability with a hire like Horner.

“After the storms and the tornadoes at Ferrari, I think the air is getting better,” he explained.

“It looks like, at the moment, everything is sleeping regarding Vasseur. The speculation has stopped.”

Patrese took a moment to clarify that, “I’m a friend of Christian Horner and sent him a message of support, and I think that he is a very good team principal.

“I think he’s able to do the job.”

But it’s not about capability at Ferrari; it’s about image.

“Ferrari wants to have an image and not many distractions,” he explained. “This is my opinion.”

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