Alex Jacques says one F1 driver is ‘destined’ to replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari once he retires

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Lewis Hamilton knows the upcoming triple header of races will define how people see his first season as a Ferrari driver in Formula 1.

At the moment, Lewis Hamilton sits sixth in the drivers’ championship, 66 points behind Charles Leclerc.

The stat currently hanging over his head is failing to secure a Grand Prix podium in his first 21 race weekends as a Ferrari driver.

His two top-three finishes in the Sprint Races in China and Miami have quickly been overlooked, with Ferrari now internally battling with comments made by John Elkann after a frustrating Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Hamilton is believed to have a three-year deal at Ferrari, although whether he sees out the entirety of that agreement might be determined by how the team performs during the upcoming regulation changes.

Alex Jacques has been speaking about Hamilton’s future and believes that Haas rookie Oliver Bearman is already ‘destined’ to take his seat if and when he retires.

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Oliver Bearman told he’s ‘destined’ to replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

Jacques was speaking on the Inside the Piranha Club Podcast about Hamilton’s future. He said : “To be honest, we’re all asking that because he has scored four points finishes in a row, and Lewis is not having a very easy season.

“But I think even if that hadn’t been happening, I think that was always the plan anyway.

“I think Bearman has always been destined for that seat whenever Lewis chooses to end his career. It’s just accelerated because of that unbelievable drive in Mexico that he put together, where I know it’s tricky to overtake around that racetrack, but you know that’s a driver that in the first half of the season was statistically the worst qualifier on the grid, then fending people off in a dry race without a safety car.

“That was very impressive, and he’s repaying the faith that the Haas team have put in him because his second Formula 2 year was nothing short of a nightmare.

“I do think his future will eventually, not as early as some of the speculation, but eventually end up in Ferrari red.”

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Alex Jacques pinpoints the moment fans will know if Ferrari’s car in 2026 is competitive

Ferrari fans everywhere will be hoping that next year’s car is competitive enough for Hamilton and Leclerc to begin challenging for Grand Prix wins again.

If it isn’t, then it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Bearman being prepared to take over Hamilton’s seat in 2027, as his motivation might start to fade if he believes there’s no hope of winning an eighth title.

Speaking about Ferrari’s chances next year, Jacques said: “They need a fast start. By the time they’re in the press conference for the Bahrain test, which is almost like a full spec Grand Prix weekend, just without the race, just the unlimited running.

“That is always the moment.

So, we’ll get to the lunch break, and then I’ll switch the channel in my commentary box, and I’ll watch the press conference, and you can just tell the body language immediately.

“If the Ferrari body language is negative, then I think we are in for what we’ve seen in the past, and that will be another run of management changes.”

Hamilton has seen ‘impressive’ steps being made in Ferrari’s engine department, which will be vital ahead of next season.

However, without knowing what Mercedes, Red Bull and their other power unit competitors have been working on, nothing is certain until the cars take to the track during pre-season testing.