F1 2026: Ollie Bearman 'in talks' with Ferrari as Lewis Hamilton replacement rumours swirl

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Ferrari F1

Ollie Bearman 'in talks' with Ferrari as Lewis Hamilton replacement rumours swirl

The 20-year-old British star has been linked with a future move to Maranello

Graham Shaw Consultant Editor

Digital sports specialist running global brands for 30 years

Thursday 5 March 2026 08:15

British F1 starlet Ollie Bearman admits he is in ongoing dialogue with Ferrari as rumours he could one day replace Lewis Hamilton at Maranello continue to swirl.

The 20-year-old from Chelmsford in Essex made his F1 debut for the Italian giants back in 2024, when he finished seventh in Saudi Arabia as a late replacement for Carlos Sainz.

A member of the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2022, Bearman really blossomed in 2025 and in the process claimed his best result yet with a terrific fourth-place finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix. He will begin 2026 at the Australian Grand Prix this weekend.

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Hamilton's struggles in the first year of his Ferrari adventure have been well documented, and his contract at Maranello reportedly runs through 2027.

Despite that, speculation about what the future looks like for the Scuderia refuses to go away, and Bearman is a popular choice for many to replace his fellow Brit.

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Bearman on Ferrari dialogue

The man himself admits he has ongoing dialogue with the team which gave him his big chance, telling the High Performance podcast: "Yeah, the dialogue remained very open throughout the year and will continue to stay like that as long as I'm affiliated with Ferrari.

"And I think it was very important for me to make clear what I was going through at Haas. There are some differences between a team like Ferrari and Haas.

"The scale is on a different level. And for example, coming from having done that race in Ferrari and having what is a lot of support, you have some extra staff in the team and some extra help in a way. And then you go to Haas, it's a bit of a different structure, and especially as a rookie, I felt like I was having to learn on the job a bit more than a team like Ferrari.

"That's a given, given the size of the teams. But I felt like I had to make clear the struggles that I was going through with Haas to Ferrari because you see the result, and that doesn't tell the full story, not even half of it. So that was important, and then what they tell me is what they want to see from me, where they want to see me improve, what they're looking for, which is what you can imagine, just drive a bit quicker every weekend."

Maranello dream burns bright for Haas star

Bearman makes no attempt to hide the fact that his dream is one day to earn a permanent drive for Ferrari, admitting: "Yeah, of course. They've trusted me first of all with their car two years ago now. But they've also believed in me from a very early stage.

"I was in Formula 4 when they picked me up. They've invested a lot in me, and my dream is to put the red suit back on and be in a red car one day. But I also think that this year is such a great opportunity with Haas with the new regulations. I feel like we can do a lot."

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F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Haas