Shocking report about Ferrari's multimillion-dollar contract offer to Christian Horner emerges

Several reports have suggested that Ferrari has approached former Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner twice over the past couple of years, with the Briton rejecting the offers. The Italian team reportedly offered him a big pay to bring him into the outfit as team principal.

There have been several rumors linking Horner to Scuderia Ferrari in the past few weeks. The 51-year-old is out of a job after being sacked by Red Bull Racing in July. While these reports have gone cold for now, a fresh one from British outlet the Daily Mail has revealed that the Italian team approached Horner twice in the last two years.

The report has claimed that Horner was the scarlet red team's top target when they sacked Mattia Binotto in 2022. They had to move to Fred Vasseur when Horner rejected a lucrative offer of close to $16 million a year. The Briton was reportedly earning close to $10 million at Red Bull at the time.

Ferrari even reportedly approached Horner more recently in the last year and offered him an even bigger wage, which was again rejected by the 51-year-old, who was happy to stay put at Milton Keynes. Since then, the Maranello-based team has given a contract extension to incumbent team boss Fred Vasseur.

Horner never believed that he would be under threat at Red Bull, even telling Ferrari chairman John Elkann that he was "content" at the Austrian team. Unfortunately for him, he was sacked from his role as CEO and team principal in July, without even an explanation.

Horner was also released from his contract at Red Bull in September, as he reportedly bagged around $100 million in compensation. He is also free to work in F1, as early as 2026, when his gardening leave ends.

Ferrari backs Fred Vasseur to get it right in 2026

John Elkann with Fred Vasseur during pre-season testing in Bahrain - Source: Getty

Motorsport Italy reported that Ferrari chairman John Elkann has backed team boss Fred Vasseur to get things right ahead of the 2026 F1 season. With the new regulations next year, the Italian expected the Scuderia to begin competing at the top of the sport again.

Elkann has gone on record and claimed that 2026 is the year the most successful team in F1 history will return to its glory days. Fred Vasseur, who has been under pressure for underperforming in 2025, will still have time to turn things around and get it right for next year.

If 2026 is similarly disappointing to 2025, the Frenchman's job could be in trouble, along with other higher-ups at the team and company, according to reports by the aforementioned outlet.

The environment at the Maranello factory has already been described as "toxic," due to the underwhelming performance of the SF-25 this year. Ferrari has even fallen behind the likes of Mercedes and Red Bull in the last few race weeks, as they have already shifted 100% of their focus to their 2026 challenger.

Edited by Hitesh Nigam