David Croft ‘never believed’ Christian Horner would take over £3.8bn-valued F1 team after Red Bull exit

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David Croft has expressed his rejection of the rumours that linked Christian Horner to a rival F1 team following his sacking from Red Bull at the start of June.

Christian Horner was ousted as team principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing following an 18-month downturn in results from the dominance we saw from the team in previous years.

Rumours about Horner joining Ferrari re-emerged following the sacking, after initial links surfaced in the months prior. It was reported that the 51-year-old was ‘more open’ to the job, which now seems to have been thwarted by Ferrari‘s latest announcement.

The Tifosi were delighted with the fact that Fred Vasseur was handed a new deal with the Prancing Horse on Thursday morning, securing his future at the team in a deal described by Ferrari as a ‘multi-year’ agreement.

READ MORE: Who is Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur? Everything you need to know

David Croft wasn’t convinced by the rumours linking Christian Horner to a role at Ferrari

Talking to Craig Slater for Sky Sports News on Thursday morning (31/07 9:13am), David Croft was asked about how likely it was for Christian Horner to join the £3.8bn-valued Ferrari team following his dismissal from Red Bull.

The commentator replied, “I never believed it from the start on that one. It was just pure Formula One speculation. Fred’s done a really good job at Ferrari.

“Given what he inherited, and trying to find some consistency and some structure within the race team. And to me, he is the right man for the job, and particularly when you look at both Lewis and Charles.

“He has masterminded their careers from the start, from the outset, he was their team principal of the junior formula and knows how to deal with both, and whatever’s going on at Ferrari this year, animosity between the two drivers is not a thing.”

READ MORE: All to know on sacked Red Bull team principal Christian Horner with net worth

Fred Vasseur’s future as team principal at Ferrari is safe for now

Vasseur joined the team in 2023 as a replacement for the outgoing Mattia Binotto, who had previously led the team for four seasons.

The Frenchman inherited a team that started off the 2022 regulations with a solid foundation that saw them emerge as a championship contender in F1’s latest era. However, the direction of development the team took on their 2022 challenger seemed to make the car regress, leaving Max Verstappen and Red Bull in a one-horse race.

Vasseur looked to have turned that around during the 2024 season, his second season in charge of Ferrari. The team narrowly missed out on glory in the constructors’ championship, eventually falling short by just 14 points.

Croft made his feelings clear on Ferrari’s chances of winning a title under Vasseur, with the commentator explicitly stating that he doesn’t think the team currently has it in them to mount a championship challenge next year.