Oliver Bearman ‘ready’ to make Ferrari F1 move as ‘Lewis Hamilton successor’ dazzles | F1 | Sport

Oliver Bearman has declared himself ready to step up and drive for Ferrari if called upon. The 20-year-old Brit is hunting a sixth consecutive top-10 finish at the Qatar Grand Prix as he looks to cap off a dazzling rookie season.

Bearman arrived on the 2025 grid having already made a point-scoring F1 debut with Ferrari in 2024, replacing Carlos Sainz in Jeddah, as well as two starts for Haas while deputising for Kevin Magnussen in Baku and Sao Paulo.

The Essex-born starlet retains links with Ferrari, although he is contracted with Haas for the 2026 season. With Charles Leclerc committed to the Scuderia long-term and Lewis Hamilton’s contract believed to expire at the end of the 2027 campaign, Bearman will likely have to exercise plenty of patience before he pulls on the famous red overalls again.​​

If the opportunity arises at short notice, though, Bearman considers himself ready. “Well, you know, I’m in F1, and you have to back yourself,” he said in Qatar. “So yes, I believe I’m ready, but I have to continue to prove that.

“It’s not that I had five or six good races that suddenly everything changes. But I think it’s also easy to forget that in the middle of the season, I had a run of four or five eleventh places in a row. So that was also consistent, just not quite good enough.

“We’ve gained a bit of car performance since then, so that 11th place turns into a 10th, a ninth, an eighth, and that’s better received by everyone. So yeah, I’ve definitely improved, particularly since the summer break. I found a really good rhythm and momentum, and of course, I would say that I’m ready.”

Speculation has been rife surrounding Hamilton’s long-term future with Ferrari. After a dejected interview in Hungary in the summer, the Brit suggested that his team should “change driver” for better results, and after a disastrous weekend in Las Vegas, he made it clear that he wasn’t looking forward to the 2026 season.

If Hamilton were to walk away from his contract, Bearman would be the obvious replacement. However, when probed over his eye-catching comments in Qatar, Hamilton wheeled back on his stance.

“I think probably I’d be surprised if other drivers are excited about next year at the end of a season, because usually you don’t have a lot of energy,” Hamilton told reporters, contextualising his comments. “You’re looking forward to time with family and stuff. That’s really it.

“But I mean, look, that was just in the heat of frustration. Often, there’s a lot of frustration at the end of the races, particularly when they haven’t gone well. So I’m excited to see what the team build next year and to continue to build on with them.”