Formula One pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz says it’s “clear as day” that Oliver Bearman will replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari.
The British Formula One driver has endured a disappointing season at the iconic team with a DNF at the Brazilian Grand Prix last weekend. Ferrari have slipped to fourth in the Constructors’ Championship with Leclerc and Hamilton both failing to finish. Hamilton is currently sixth in the drivers’ standings and despite it being a dream move to Ferrari for Hamilton, there are suggestions he’ll be replaced.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ The F1 Show, Kravitz said: “It’s clear as day that Oli Bearman will eventually replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, I think that’s absolutely clear. Whether Charles Leclerc will stay there or not long-term is a completely separate subject.
“It’s the Ferrari way. They did it with Charles Leclerc, to farm out their juniors to farm out their juniors to a Sauber or a Haas (where Bearman is now) or to an engine customer team.
“And then bring them in-house, of course. That’s what happened with Leclerc at Sauber and then he came to Ferrari ready-formed, free of his mistakes. You could say Charles Leclerc held on to a couple of mistakes at Ferrari but it doesn’t seem to make mistakes anymore really.
“Oli Bearman is doing that. Haas insist that they’ve got Bearman nailed down for 2026. So I think Ferrari will let it play out with Lewis Hamilton in 2026, get to the end of his contract and make a call on whether it’s Bearman.
“Then, for Bearman’s sake, he’s getting it together, he’s developing very nicely. A fourth followed by a sixth, I think he was unlucky in qualifying. He’d shown great pace, should have been more in qualifying. Just got to the last set of tires on Q3 on Saturday afternoon.
“He’s really getting it together. An impressive weekend, another one from Oli Bearman.”
This comes off the back of Ralf Schumacher’s suggestion that Bearman should take the reins from Hamilton. The 40-year-old’s deal is reportedly worth £60million per year on a three-year contract but Schumacher thinks a cheaper option is readily available.
Backstage Boxengasse Podcast: “With Lewis Hamilton, I simply believe that you have to see it this way: he makes a lot of mistakes and his speed is OK, but not better than that.
“And now I see a young Bearman doing wonders with the Haas and he costs a fraction of what Lewis Hamilton costs, who, I don’t know, earns high double-digit amounts.
“We’re talking about more than £60 million a year. And I don’t think A) [John] Elkann can get that through anymore. That was his decision. Beyond the contract that you have and B) I wouldn’t know if he’s not like that and says: ‘OK, it’s been a year now, Lewis Hamilton has kind of stayed put, he’s come a little closer, but the money, we’d rather give it to him, but we’d rather bring in a Bearman’.
“We have a young driver who is pushing for the brand; we can build something with the rule change for the future. That could happen, of course. So, I’m curious. It’s exciting.
“I mean, with such a high-profile personality, I expect more and one thing must not be forgotten. If I were a manager now, I would also say, well, that’s not working, so I’d rather move on and build up a young, talented man like Bearman.”
