Only one F1 driver can replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari and it's not Ollie Bearman

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

F1 Analysis

Only one driver can replace Lewis Hamilton and it's not Ollie Bearman

Ferrari should be looking elsewhere for Lewis Hamilton's successor

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Thursday 9 April 2026 12:58

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Not another one [insert general election meme here]! Another article about who will replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari? Oh for God's sake!

He's three rounds in, finally claimed his first podium in red and raring to become a title contender again. Now you're pushing the narrative he's going to be replaced? Big scoff.

Sorry to break it to you, but at some point Lewis Hamilton will have to retire from F1. Do I know when that will be? No. Because if I did, I'd be on some boat in the Mediterranean plotting the most efficient way to purchase my body weight in wispy meats.

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Do I believe Hamilton will retire at the end of this year? Absolutely not. In fact, Hamilton should keep going with Ferrari as long as possible. He should stick with the team until the very last second of the current rule cycle, not missing any opportunity for development or convergence which could propel Ferrari into championship contenders.

Could it taint his legacy by remaining winless with Ferrari? It could. Does that mean he should retire? Most probably. He won't, it's not in Lewis Hamilton's nature. He probably won't call it quits until his body is literally begging for him to step down and book into a retirement home (where he will undoubtedly become the fascination of a Richard Osman plot).

Whether it's next year or next decade, Hamilton's retirement will eventually arrive and Ferrari will be tasked with plucking the perfect successor. Should the decision be forced upon them in four years, give or take, then there's only one answer to that conundrum for Ferrari.

Forget Ollie Bearman. Ferrari should keep Lewis Hamilton as long as possible and bank instead on the 19-year-old prodigy that is Kimi Antonelli.

An Italian champion in red! What could be better?

There will be some, after the young Italian's spellbinding performances in China and Japan, who think Antonelli racing in a Ferrari is inevitable; for obvious reasons pertaining to his nationality.

However, joining Ferrari without having won a world title would be a cataclysmic error for young Antonelli.

Say he does pull off the exceptional and secures his first ever world title in only his second season with Mercedes, he's not then going to retire from the team that expedited his glory, all because of, you know, Italy. That would be insane and fanciful.

Antonelli will remain at Mercedes in 2027 and trust they will be competitive enough to fight for another title. In fact, if the Silver Arrows remain the imperious force in this era, as they did from 2014-2021, there is very little point of Antonelli considering a move elsewhere, least of all on the basis of sentimentality.

But when the next rule cycle arrives? When Antonelli has two, maybe three championships to his name? When Hamilton truly feels he has nothing left to give? F1 champion Kimi Antonelli, then in his mid-20s, would be the perfect candidate to move to Maranello.

By then he'll already have achieved his lifelong dream and there will be no need to get that proverbial monkey off his back anymore. As Max Verstappen has shown, drivers aren't necessarily concerned with acquiring the most titles, rather they prefer to remained challenged in motorsport. It's why Verstappen is so infatuated with GT at present.

That same desire for a challenge should tempt Antonelli to sign for Ferrari, not some yearning to race for the Italian team because he's also Italian. If Antonelli's already a champion, he has nothing to loose. As a mere title hopeful, a move to Ferrari is a foolish risk.

The Hamilton-Ferrari project will not be over quickly. His turnaround at the start of this season shows just how much the 41-year-old still has, and wants, to give to Formula 1. Likewise, Antonelli should not succumb to fairytales whispered in his ear.

But if Antonelli becomes a champion, the complexion of his career changes entirely. Previously fraught pathways open up to him and Ferrari becomes a viable prospect. So to then, does the Italian dream of seeing one of their own win in rosso corsa.

Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

View full biography

F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes Kimi Antonelli Ollie Bearman