Bearman responds to ‘heir apparent’ talk amidst Hamilton Ferrari contract rumours

Michelle Foster
Oliver Bearman and Lewis Hamilton

Could Oliver Bearman replace Lewis Hamilton?

Oliver Bearman has downplayed suggestions he could be in line to replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, saying he’s not bothered by the talk after one great race at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Bearman recorded a career-best finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix where he raced from ninth on the grid to P4, holding off Oscar Piastri, which cost the McLaren driver the lead in the Drivers’ standings.

Oliver Bearman to Ferrari? Hamilton and mistakes stand in his way

⦁ Pundits hail Ollie Bearman as the ‘heir apparent’ to Hamilton
⦁ 20-year-old downplays the increasing speculation
⦁ From imminent race ban to a Ferrari driver because of one P4?

Lining up ninth on the grid after recording his third grand prix Q3 appearance in succession, Bearman was running as high as P3 when he came under threat from Max Verstappen.

“Sh**ting himself”, the Briton held his own against Verstappen for a long time before losing out due to strategy.

“But,” he added, “it’s really cool to go wheel to wheel with these people that I’ve been watching since I started watching F1, and I had him in my mirrors for a long time.”

But while Bearman did lose out to the four-time World Champion, he kept the charging then-championship leader Piastri at bay in the closing laps to beat him to fourth place by two seconds.

Bearman, who’s P4 matched Haas’ best-ever F1 result, was immediately hailed as the next Ferrari driver.

“Absolutely outstanding,” proclaimed former F1 driver Martin Brundle on Sky’s The F1 Show. “If you give that young man an opportunity, he’ll grab it, like he did in Saudi with the Ferrari drive.

“The moment that there’s a seat at Ferrari for whatever reason, then Bearman should be in it as far as I’m concerned. I think he’s outstanding and he’s learning fast, and he’s making the most of his opportunity.”

IndyCar winner and F1 TV analyst James Hinchcliffe agreed: “It would surprise no one if Bearman was heir apparent to the seat Hamilton currently occupies when the seven-time champion decides to call it a day on his Formula 1 endeavours.”

According to ESPN, Hamilton will be dropped by Ferrari at the end of next season with ‘several senior figures’ indicating that the Scuderia will not offer the Briton an extension when his current deal expires.

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That could open the door for Bearman, who is under contract with Haas for the F1 2026 season, to step up.

He, however, downplayed the speculation.

Speaking with the media ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, he said: “It doesn’t matter to me.

“It’s one weekend they are saying this, but then when the previous weekend doesn’t go well, they are saying the opposite.

“You know, the media, like the headlines and stuff like that – and of course it was a great weekend and I’m very happy to have done that – but I’m not really bothered about it.

“I just try and keep my head down and focus on continuing to have those good results and deliver good points for the team as well.”

Analysis: One P4 does not make a Ferrari driver

Heir apparent? Next Ferrari driver? What happened to “mad”, “crazy” or should’ve been “disqualified”?

How quickly the narrative changes.

Just days ago, Ollie Bearman was knocking, no hammering, on the door of an automatic one-race ban having accrued 10 penalty points on his super licence. And he hadn’t even contested a full season in Formula 1.

Wracking up penalties for crashing into Carlos Sainz, twice, overtaking the Williams driver under red flags, and then crashing under reds – and in the pit lane of all places, Bearman has shown he still has a lot to learn.

Although his seven top-ten grand prix results match his teammate Esteban Ocon’s seven, and he’s ahead of the Frenchman by 32 points to 30, it is the 20-year-old’s lack of consistency and mistakes that shine brighter than his Mexico City result.

There’s no question that the young Briton has pace, but he also has moments of madness that need to be curbed before he can even dream of a Ferrari seat.

Read next: Lewis Hamilton breaks his silence on Ferrari future as rumours continue

Haas Oliver Bearman

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