F1 star tells Ferrari he wants to replace Lewis Hamilton

An edit of a picture of Lewis Hamilton looking surprised — Photo: © IMAGO

Ferrari

F1 star tells Ferrari he wants to replace Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton has struggled so far at Ferrari

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 30 April 2026 17:42

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A current F1 star has revealed that they are ready to take over from seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari.

Hamilton is the most successful driver in the history of F1, holding the joint-record for the number of world championships but the outright records for the number of race victories, podiums and pole positions.

The Brit moved to Ferrari following 12 highly-successful seasons at Mercedes back in 2025, but has not added to his grand prix victories tally as of yet with the Maranello-based outfit.

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He has only managed to score one grand prix podium since making that move, and last season finished 86 points behind team-mate Charles Leclerc in the drivers' championship.

However, that podium did come earlier this year at the Chinese GP, with the 41-year-old starting off the 2026 season in much better form than the end of 2025, currently sat up in fourth in the drivers' standings.

With Hamilton's current contract due to come to an end at the end of this year, however, it's thought that he's going to need to be consistently matching Leclerc for pace throughout 2026 to justify the team extending his high-wage contract for another year or two.

If they believe they can get a similar level of performance from a younger driver who is much cheaper, then they will, and Haas' Oliver Bearman certainly fits that bill.

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Will Bearman replace Hamilton at Ferrari?

Bearman only secured his first full-time seat in the sport in 2025, but has excelled with his Haas team.

At last year's Brazilian GP, Bearman finished up in fourth for Haas, in a race in which Ferrari scored zero points between their two drivers.

That was Haas' joint-best ever result at a single grand prix, and the former Ferrari junior driver has also started this year off strong too, finishing fifth at the Chinese GP, and currently sitting up in seventh in the drivers' championship.

Now, ahead of this weekend's Miami GP - the first F1 race for five weeks - Bearman has revealed quite how much he is enjoying driving for Haas, while also discussing his future.

"I feel like I am ready," Bearman said in an interview with the Mail when asked about being the replacement for Hamilton at Ferrari. "If I didn’t say that, it wouldn't be worth going to the track.

"I am young and have years to go. I just want to give them a reason for me to be a choice. The faster I drive, the better my chances are.

"I concentrate on myself, on giving my best performances for Haas. Just as the team debrief after every weekend, I do the same internally and with my coach as well. We make sure there is no stone left unturned.

"It is not necessarily about the result you have achieved but about personal performance. You need to have no ego, no fear of criticising yourself. But you need a good level of self-confidence. That allows you not to push blame elsewhere.

"For now, I am loving every minute of it."