Christian Horner Insults Ferrari’s 74 YO Legacy to Expose Reason for Charles Leclerc’s ‘Bad Luck’

The 2023 Brazilian GP gave the fans 71 laps of pure chaos, a common occurrence at the Interlagos circuit with its ever-present dynamic track conditions. While Max Verstappen and Lando Norris were the stars of the show, the Tifosi’s hearts were shattered before the lights could even go out. Charles Leclerc had to retire after a hydraulic failure sent him into the barriers on the formation lap.

Adding to the Maranello outfit’s misery, Carlos Sainz was openly critical of the clutch on his set-up, prompting the team to get rid of it once they reached home. However, the Scarlet team’s home is exactly where the problem lies, according to Christian Horner.

Christian Horner reveals Ferrari’s biggest problem

A team known for its rich Italian pedigree, Ferrari has time and time again chosen to preserve the essence of the brand, which means the top management has a lot to do with Italy, setting the team apart from other teams with a diverse board. They have been facing a major championship draught since 2008, and have struggled in their management even when they have had head starts in the championship. After Leclerc had to retire from the Brazilian GP preemptively, he voice his frustration on the radio, “Why the f*ck am I so unlucky!”

Unfortunately for Leclerc, he might not like what Christian Horner had to say. The Red Bull Boss believes there needs to be a major change that might hit too close to home for the Tifosi. During the Eff Won podcast hosted by Dax Shepard, the 49-year-old was asked a question that has been on everyone’s mind, “What is wrong with Ferrari? They have the manufacturing prowess, they have the budget, they have the drivers. Do you look at that team and think to yourself, I could go in there and f**king change something?”

It’s no secret that Horner was the right person to ask this question to. After all, he’s won thirteen world titles (Six constructor’s and Seven driver’s championships). The Red Bull boss pointed fingers at the Italian influence within Ferrari coming back to haunt them, “Like I think the biggest problem with Ferrari is that it’s a national team and that is it’s problem. It needs to get back to being a race team.” This might have been a bold claim to make, but the reality unfolds once he explains further.

READ MORE: Mattia Binotto’s “Cursed Gift” to Frederic Vasseur Blamed for Charles Leclerc’s Brazilian GP Crash

“You know, it’s an Italian institute and there’s too many probably people at the top end that everybody has an input and has a say from the outside looking in.” Horner reflected on Ferrari’s heritage, after all, the team entered Formula 1 as Enzo Ferrari’s passion project back in 1950, unlike teams of today with large corporate agendas, their goal was to simply win races and championships, and has been so for over 74 years.

Christian Horner thinks Ferrari should take a page out of his book

Whilst Ferrari has shown promise during qualifying, their races have unfolded in disaster on numerous occasions, owing to mechanical issues, poor strategy decisions, and driver errors. In an environment like that, the management structure adds additional pressure, according to Horner. He added, “One of our strengths is that we’re, you know, we move quickly, we make decisions and we stick to them and we just if we make the wrong decision, we change the decision.”

Staying true to Red Bull’s way of handling their driver lineup, Christian Horner alluded that Red Bull’s key strength when it comes to spur-of-the-moment decision-making was precisely what Ferrari lacked. A perfect example of this would be Mattia Binotto’s exit from the Maranello outfit after being made a scapegoat by fans and management alike as the reason behind Ferrari’s failures.

However, not much has changed for the Italian outfit since Mattia Binotto was replaced by Frederic Vasseur, with their latest outing at the Brazilian GP, ending in heartbreak. Ironically, the closest Ferrari was to challenging Christian Horner and Red Bull for the world championship was when Binotto was still running things. The team had struggled after their setbacks had sparked rumors related to Binotto’s sacking, which undoubtedly increased the pressure on the Italian boss.

According to the Red Bull boss, Ferrari’s Achilles heel remains its ability to fall victim to media hearsay, including the fact that major decisions would be made based on emotions more than logic. He concluded, “I think for Ferrari the the newspapers have such an influence on, you know, what happens there. So, you know, it’s a lot of pressure being at being at Ferrari.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Ferrari Strategy Fails We Will Never Forget

Ferrari has failed to sniff out the culprit behind their misery, while Christian Horner and Helmut Marko’s adaptability has worked wonders for Red Bull. The Maranello outfit will need to put their emotions aside to focus on the bigger picture – getting back to winning ways.