Ferrari tried to coax Christian Horner to leave Red Bull and become their new team principal, it has been reported.
The Italian team was on the lookout for a new leader after Mattia Binotto's resignation was announced. Having failed to mount a meaningful title challenge this year, the outgoing chief felt he no longer had the full faith of Ferrari's leadership.
Frederic Vasseur is the man hired to replace him, joining from Alfa Romeo Sauber. But the Frenchman was not the only name on their list – one of them was the man who led the team which blew away all competition to dominate the 2022 championships.
Ferrari approached Horner in the hope of prising him away from Red Bull, the Daily Mail reports. Such a move is likely to have been at the desire of executive chairman John Elkann, who wanted a more high-profile figure in charge while chief executive Benedetto Vigna is believed to have wanted Vasseur from the start.
In any case, Horner did not take the Italians up on the offer. He is both the youngest and the longest serving team principal on the grid, having been in charge of Red Bull since the racing team was founded in 2005 – clearly he does not fancy a change of scenery.
Explaining why the Ferrari offer was of no interest to him, a source told the Mail: "There is too much politics below the surface at Ferrari. Too many egos. If someone starts succeeding, someone else pulls him down."
The politics appears to have played a major role in Binotto's decision to leave – and he is far from the first Ferrari chief to do so for that reason. Vasseur hasn't even started the job yet and he has already been warned that the same fate could come his way.
"If you get an offer from Ferrari, you have to go," said retired former F1 team owner Peter Sauber. "But if you know the history of Ferrari – back to the company founder Enzo – then you know that the team bosses usually have a short life. With the exception of Jean Todt, who ruled there for more than 12 years."
Meanwhile, former racer Christian Danner feels losing Binotto "will set Ferrari back three years". He said: "There is a magic word in Formula 1, how to be successful, and that means continuity. Even if things aren't going so well, it's better to analyse the problems, maybe to restructure them, but to continue working within a large structure."
