Ex-F1 team boss thinks Oliver Bearman should replace Lewis Hamilton
Guenther Steiner makes his prediction about Ferrari's future F1 driver line-up.
Former Haas team chief Guenther Steiner thinks Ferrari will replace Lewis Hamilton with Oliver Bearman for the 2027 F1 season.
Rumours have linked Hamilton with a possible exit at the end of 2026 as he continues to struggle to adapt during a hugely disappointing maiden campaign with Ferrari, who are winless so far this year.
Haas F1 rookie Oliver Bearman has already been tipped by many pundits to replace Hamilton at Ferrari, whether the seven-time world champion walks away or is pushed out of the Italian team.
During the ‘Gas or Brake’ segment of The Red Flags podcast, Steiner was asked if Bearman should replace Hamilton at Ferrari.
“Gas!” Steiner replied. “If Hamilton next year isn’t any good, he should replace him. Ollie is doing a fantastic job, he shows what he’s worth.
“Beginning of the year, he made mistakes. Now he’s as clean as they get. Blows away Ocon, who is a much more experienced driver, paid a lot more money I guess. Blows him away, leaves him behind.
“I think if Ferrari doesn’t give him a seat in 27, I think he will get a seat in one of the top teams anyway in 27. He will not be hanging around in the midfield, because he shows what he can do. His drives are so solid at the moment, fantastic to watch.”
Bearman is on an impressive run of form that has seen him claim four-successive points finishes, including a stunning fourth in Mexico City and impressive sixth in Brazil.
According to Sky Sports F1 pitlane reporter Ted Kravitz, an eventual promotion to Ferrari for Bearman is “absolutely clear”.
“It’s clear as night follows day that Ollie Bearman will eventually replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari. I think that’s absolutely clear,” Kravitz said on The F1 Show.
“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 a Sauber, or to Haas, or to an engine customer, and then bring them in-house.
“Haas insist that they’ve got Bearman nailed down for ’26, so I think Ferrari will let it play out with Hamilton, get to the end of his contract and then make a call on whether it’s Bearman.”
How long is Lewis Hamilton’s contract?
Hamilton responded to the speculation about his future at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, as he shared intriguing details about the length of his contract with Ferrari.
The 40-year-old Briton appeared to suggest that he has a contract that covers the 2027 F1 season as he shot down talk of Bearman replacing him in two years.
“I have a pretty long contract," Hamilton said. "Normally, when you do a contract, it's usually the year before you start to talk about it. I'm a little bit far from that right now."
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