Should Lewis Hamilton leave Ferrari in the coming years, Oliver Bearman could well be a suitable successor within the team’s own ranks.
For expert Martin Brundle, the question is not whether Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman will get a regular cockpit at Scuderia in the coming years. The long-time Formula 1 driver believes it’s just a matter of when that will happen.
In Sky’s latest Formula 1 podcast, Brundle explains: “As soon as a seat becomes available at Ferrari for whatever reason, I think Bearman should take that seat. I think he’s excellent, he learns quickly and makes the most of his opportunities.“
Bearman’s fourth place in Mexico on Sunday was ”absolutely outstanding,“ according to the expert, who explains: ”If you give this young man a chance, he’ll take it, just like he did in Saudi Arabia [2024] in the Ferrari.” Bearman made his surprise Formula 1 debut in Jeddah last year when Ferrari regular driver Carlos Sainz had to miss the race due to appendicitis surgery. He finished a respectable seventh and completed two more races for Haas during the year as a replacement for Kevin Magnussen.
He has been a regular driver for Ferrari customer team Haas since this season, but Brundle believes the 20-year-old will not be driving for the US team forever—especially since Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur also praised Bearman after the Mexican Grand Prix.
Rumors: No new Ferrari contract for Hamilton?
“He did a great job. This weekend, he brought everything together, zero mistakes – that’s paying off now,” said Vasseur. The fact is, however, that Bearman will continue to drive for Haas at least until 2026. The Brit has already been confirmed there for the coming year.
This is also due to the fact that no cockpit will be available at the Ferrari factory team in the new year. However, that could change in 2027, as rumors have recently surfaced that 2026 could be Lewis Hamilton’s last season in Maranello.
ESPN recently reported that “several high-ranking figures from the paddock” had indicated that Scuderia would not offer Hamilton a new contract in view of his current performance.
However, Hamilton himself has always stated that his clear focus is on 2026, and the record world champion has recently shown an upward trend, which is why the claim that he will not get another Ferrari contract seems somewhat premature.
It is also unclear exactly how long Hamilton’s current contract runs. Ferrari merely confirmed in 2024 that the Brit had signed a multi-year contract. The Italian Gazzetta dello Sport reports that it is a contract until the end of 2026, but with an “option” for 2027.
Villeneuve: Bearman copes well with pressure
Should Hamilton and Ferrari part ways at some point, which is bound to happen sooner or later given the Briton’s age—he will be 41 at the start of next season—Bearman could well be a suitable successor.
Jacques Villeneuve also praised him in the Sky podcast: “It’s very promising. He was impressive this weekend [in Mexico] because he brought the whole package. He was fast and didn’t let the pressure get to him.”
“He’s a very aggressive driver, but he always has everything under control,” said the 1997 world champion, who explains that Bearman is one of those drivers who grows with his tasks. “He’s better now than he was when he was driving in the smaller categories,” said the Canadian.
In fact, Bearman won two Formula 4 titles in one year in 2021, but no further championships followed. He finished “only” third overall in Formula 3 in 2022 and 12th in Formula 2 a year later, although he missed two weekends there due to his Formula 1 commitments.
In his first full Formula 1 season, he is 13th in the world championship standings with 32 points with four races to go – and since Mexico, he has been just ahead of his much more experienced Haas teammate Esteban Ocon (30 points).
