Headline: Hamilton cools Horner-to-Ferrari chatter: “Not helpful” as Vasseur’s future already settled
Lewis Hamilton doesn’t have time for the latest Christian Horner-to-Ferrari whispers. Speaking in Austin on Thursday, the Ferrari driver called the rumour mill “a little bit distracting” and pointed to Fred Vasseur’s fresh multi‑year deal as proof the Scuderia aren’t shopping for a new team boss.
“I don’t know where the rumours have come from,” Hamilton said in the FIA press conference ahead of the United States Grand Prix. “But it’s a little bit distracting for us as a team. The team have made it clear where they stand in terms of re‑signing Fred. Fred and I, and the whole team, are working really hard on the future… these things naturally aren’t helpful.”
Pressed on whether Horner would be a good fit at Maranello, Hamilton shut the door: “I’m not going to entertain rumours.”
Ferrari’s stance on Vasseur has been unambiguous for months. The Frenchman was handed a new multi‑year contract in July, around the Hungarian Grand Prix, after a wave of speculation earlier in the year about his position. That timing was deliberate — a public vote of confidence to steady the ship and keep development momentum rolling into next season. In 2025, Ferrari’s driver lineup of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc and Vasseur’s leadership is the spine of the project. Continuity is the message.
The timing of the latest Horner noise is no accident either. The former Red Bull team principal reached a settlement with the Milton Keynes outfit last month, reported at around $100 million, and is understood to be free to consider a return to the paddock in 2026. Ferrari had sounded him out prior to his Red Bull exit, and each time Maranello has a wobble in form, his name reappears at the top of the gossip pages.
This week’s version of the story had Horner in talks with Ferrari as pressure supposedly ticked up again. People close to the situation, however, have poured cold water on that, and the logic checks out: if Horner’s comeback brief includes sweeping, ownership‑style control, Ferrari is about the last place that hands over the keys like that. Vasseur runs the team; the structure above him is the structure above him. That’s the reality of the Scuderia in 2025.
From Hamilton’s side, the focus is entirely internal. He’s been vocal since Spa about the sheer volume of meetings and deep‑dive sessions happening back at Maranello, trying to “make sure we’re sailing in the right direction,” as he put it again in Texas. The target is straightforward: build on this year’s foundation and sharpen execution for next season’s car under an evolving rule set. Ferrari’s flashes of pace have been real, but so have the missed opportunities; polishing the edges, not ripping up the blueprint, is the theme.
The seven-time champion also offered a little peek behind the curtain. “Everyone back at the factory is working incredibly hard, focused… these sort of rumours can sometimes be distracting. For me, it’s really trying to keep the focus on the goal in front of us and building on next year’s car… so that next year we can have better execution, better overall performance.”
As for Horner, if he does return in 2026, the paddock consensus is that he’ll want more than a team principal’s office and a famous badge. He’s spent a career as the fulcrum of a sprawling, title‑winning operation. Anything less than that kind of command would be an awkward fit. And it’s hard to imagine Ferrari — having just recommitted to Vasseur and the current structure — inviting that level of upheaval.
So, file this week’s whispers where they belong: background noise in a long season. Ferrari’s senior leadership is locked in, their superstar driver isn’t biting, and the next meaningful chapter in the Horner saga likely waits for 2026.
For now, Hamilton’s eyes are on Austin. The brief is clear: squeeze everything from this package, tidy up Sundays, and carry real momentum into the winter — with Fred Vasseur exactly where Ferrari have already said he’ll be.
