Lewis Hamilton’s tough debut season at Ferrari in 2025 has sparked speculation that the British driver could step away from F1, with Haas’ Oliver Bearman linked as a possible replacement.
The 40-year-old made the switch from Mercedes ahead of the 2025 campaign, hoping to reignite his career while fulfilling a lifelong dream to race for Ferrari. Hamilton signed with the Scuderia in February 2024, after two consecutive seasons without a win in 2022 and 2023.
But Hamilton’s first year in red saw him go winless for a third straight season, and for the first time in his career, he didn’t manage a single podium finish. His best results were four P4 finishes, coming at Imola, Austria, Silverstone and Austin.
He finished with just 156 points – his lowest total since F1 introduced its current scoring system in 2010 – and placed sixth overall. To cap off a difficult year, Hamilton failed to make it out of Q1 in each of the last three qualifying sessions of the season.
2026 regulation changes could be key to Oliver Bearman’s Ferrari prospects
There was a lot of support for Bearman joining Ferrari after Hamilton finished 16th in Abu Dhabi, following up on early qualifying exits in Las Vegas and Qatar. Hamilton qualified last in Las Vegas, where the wet conditions played a big part.
There has been speculation that Bearman could eventually end up at Ferrari, especially given Hamilton’s struggles. The 20-year-old made a solid impression during his first full season with Haas, who brought him over on loan from Ferrari as part of a two-year agreement starting in 2025.
Motor Sport Magazine has also noted that it appears more likely now that Bearman will move to Ferrari at some point, though the exact timing is still unclear. However, there are suggestions that if Haas doesn’t handle the new regulations well, his stock within Ferrari could drop if another driver steps into the spotlight.
The Briton might face his biggest test yet securing a spot at Maranello as teams adjust to new rules governing both chassis design and aerodynamics. It will mark Formula 1’s first experience with active aero features.
Oliver Bearman needs to build on strong rookie campaign if he wants Ferrari seat in 2027
After being a part of their academy, and stepping into F1 full-time with Haas in the 2025 season, Bearman has put himself in contention for a Ferrari seat in 2027, with Charles Leclerc and Hamilton able to leave Ferrari for free in 2026.
Bearman had a surprising debut finish for Ferrari, finishing P7 at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. He stood in last-minute for Carlos Sainz after his appendicitis surgery. He also scored points on his debut with Haas, finishing P10 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
In fact, during his first four rounds of the season with Haas, he finished with points three times. Following that was a run of ten consecutive Grands Prix without points but finished the season strongly by scoring points in six of his final ten Grands Prix.
During those last ten rounds, nine finishes resulted no lower than P12. The native of Havering put together five consecutive point-scoring races that included a career-best P4 finish at Mexico City. That streak ended when he retired from the Qatar Grand Prix.
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