Lewis Hamilton's F1 replacement? Star ‘ready’ for ultimate Ferrari promotion

Hamilton looking to the side with a serious expression against a red, white and yellow background and white-out image of Ollie Bearman's silhouette — Photo: © IMAGO

Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton replacement? F1 star ‘ready’ for ultimate Ferrari promotion

An F1 youngster is waiting in the wings

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 30 December 2025 19:43

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F1 youngster and Haas star Ollie Bearman has revealed he is 'ready' for a Ferrari call up should Lewis Hamilton or Charles Leclerc leave the team.

Bearman made his full-time F1 debut in 2025 with Haas after select appearances the previous season, most notably his last-minute call up for Ferrari at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The British youngster replaced an unwell Carlos Sainz and finished the 2024 race seventh, with his debut impressing bosses up and down the grid.

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Bearman has been a member of Ferrari's driver academy since 2022, and should Ferrari need a driver in the future, he remains the most viable option for their long-term future.

There has been speculation that both Hamilton and Leclerc may not remain at Ferrari, after both drivers endured a miserable 2025 campaign and failed to pick up a single grand prix win.

Hamilton left his first ever F1 season in 18 years without a podium, with paddock whispers suggesting he could leave the sport at the close of the 2026 season, although the length of his contract has been debated.

Leclerc too has been tipped to become impatient if Ferrari fail to provide a championship-winning car, and the 28-year-old has been prompted to look elsewhere.

Is Bearman the future for Ferrari?

If the time comes for either driver to leave, however, one driver is prepared, and that is Haas driver Ollie Bearman.

Speaking to the media about a Ferrari promotion, the British youngster claimed he is ready, and said: "Well, you know, I’m in F1 and you have to back yourself. So yes, I believe I’m ready, but I have to continue to prove that.

"It’s not that I had five or six good races that suddenly everything changes.

"But I think it’s also easy to forget that in the middle of the season, I had a run of four or five eleventh places in a row. So that was also consistent — just not quite good enough. And we’ve gained a bit of car performance since then. So that 11th place turns into a 10th, a ninth, an eighth, and that’s better received by everyone.

"So yeah, I’ve definitely improved, particularly since the summer break. I found a really good rhythm and momentum, and of course, I would say that I’m ready."