Charles Leclerc lashes out at 'disrespectful' Fred Vasseur rumours in Christian Horner storm

Charles Leclerc has lashed out at what he has called "disrespectful" rumours linking Christian Horner with taking Fred Vasseur's job at Ferrari. 

Over the Azerbaijan GP weekend, Horner claimed in an interview with The Times that Ferrari was the "dream job" and the only team he would consider joining in F1 as not part of the ownership structure and merely an employee, as he was at Red Bull before his dismissal in 2025.

Addressing those claims for the first time in Baku, Vasseur, the current Ferrari team principal, felt that the "serenity" of Ferrari had been disrupted by Horner's effective 'Come and get me' plea.

Between the Azerbaijan and Bahrain GP in Malaysia races, Ferrari then organised a surprise media briefing where it was made clear that chairman John Elkann and CEO Benedetto Vigna enjoyed "full confidence" in Vasseur, who has been at the helm since replacing Mattia Binotto ahead of the 2023 season.

Speaking for the first time himself, Leclerc believes that the ongoing rumours of Horner to Ferrari is "disrespectful" to Vasseur.

"I've always said how much I trust Fred and how important he is for the team, he is extremely capable in what he does, and I think he's been extremely valuable so far, and he will be extremely valuable in the years to come as well," Leclerc told media, including RacingNews365. 

"There was never any doubt inside the team that he has all our of support - and sometimes, it's needed to make it clear to the outside world as well, but to me, that doesn't matter as I know where we stand inside the team - and that's the most important.

"I just wish that there were fewer of these silly rumours going around.

"By definition, I think if you don't spend time speaking about the right things at the factory and pushing in the same direction, if you have these kinds of rumours, you spend maybe a bit more time speaking about these kinds of things, which is not nice, and how much of an effect it has, I don't think it is black and white.

"It's a bit more difficult to weigh in the effects that it has, but I don't think it does any good, that's for sure. Honestly, it's just not nice to see these kind of things. We are trying to do our best. Fred and all of us in the team, we are pushing ourselves to the limit. 

"I find it a little bit disrespectful to see so many rumours. It is a part of our job to take criticism,  but when you spread these kinds of things over and over, I think, at one point, it is just not so respectful."

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Leclerc back Ferrari 'serenity'

Leclerc was also questioned about Vasseur's comment from Azerbaijan, in which he claimed the "serenity" of Ferrari was being disrupted - something he agreed with. 

"I don't see much of what is going around, but of course, you hear about what is going around and many people from the team know what is going around," he said.

"That is not good for the serenity of the team, but at the end of the day, this is something we have little control over, and we've got to maximise our results.

"[Vasseur's] strength is to manage people, and I think it is where you've got to be good when you are a team principal. 

"He knows what words to use and what conditions are needed for someone to extract the maximum from the individual, and that is why he is so important for the team."