F1 star's route to replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari could be BLOCKED

Lewis Hamilton smiling at the Qatar Grand Prix — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

F1 star's route to replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari could be BLOCKED

Tongues are wagging about this F1 star

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Sunday 4 January 2026 09:27

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The F1 star who has been tipped to replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari could find his path to the team blocked.

A disappointing debut for Hamilton at Ferrari has led to speculation that the 2026 season could be his last, particularly if it follows a similar pattern to the previous year.

While Hamilton will give it all he's got to claim an unprecedented eighth world title, Ferrari will also have to start thinking long-term, with Ollie Bearman materialising as a natural successor.

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Bearman has been a member of the Ferrari driver academy since 2022, signed by customer team Haas for his first full season in F1 last year.

However, Haas' growing relationship with manufacturer Toyota has caused concern about their ongoing relationship with Ferrari, and thus their potential relationship with Bearman.

Haas and Toyota partnership strengthens

Haas and Toyota signed a multi-year technical partnership last year, with the Japanese manufacturer replacing Moneygram as their title partner for the 2026 season.

The deal has brought benefits to Haas, including their first-ever personal simulator for their Banbury base, having previously been reliant on using Ferrari's simulator.

As Haas and Toyota's relationship strengthens, 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes that the American squad's relationship with Ferrari will cease.

Speaking on the High Performance Podcast, Villeneuve discussed Bearman and claimed that the British driver is waiting for a seat at Ferrari, but questioned how long the link between the team and Haas will last, perhaps causing issues for Bearman.

“If you think about it, Bearman is the Ferrari driver. Just waiting for a seat to become available there," Villeneuve said.

"Although the team will not really be a Ferrari team anymore because Toyota is getting more and more involved in the team so at some point this will stop.”