F1 fans all tell Ferrari the driver who must replace Lewis Hamilton after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton suffered yet another low during his nightmare first season as a Ferrari driver during qualifying for the 2025 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as he bowed out in Q1.

The 40-year-old realised his childhood dream by moving to Maranello at the start of 2025. It has been far from a dream, though, as Hamilton will register his worst points total under the scoring system introduced in 2010. He is also still yet to get a Grand Prix podium this season.

Hamilton has never previously failed to get at least one podium during any season of his 19-year F1 career. But the seven-time champion’s first campaign with Ferrari looks likely to see his record streak end. Hamilton could only qualify P16 for the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP.

Hamilton qualified P16 for the Abu Dhabi GP this Saturday as he could only set a lap time of 1:23.394, which left him 0.008s under the cut line set by Red Bull racer Yuki Tsunoda. Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc finished Q1 in P5 (and also took P5 in Q3) with his 1:23.163 effort.

F1 fans urge Ferrari to replace Lewis Hamilton with Oliver Bearman after his Q1 exit in Abu Dhabi

The record 104-time Grand Prix polesitter has also now suffered three Q1 exits in succession for the first time since 2009. And lots of F1 fans feel Hamilton’s qualifying woes in Abu Dhabi should be the final nail in his Ferrari coffin, as the Scuderia should release him after the race.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Hamilton has recently indicated that he signed a three-year contract to join Ferrari from the 2025 F1 season. But many fans now feel Ferrari need to promote Oliver Bearman from Haas for the 2026 season, as the 20-year-old Briton has impressed in his first full year on the grid.

One F1 fan wrote on X after Hamilton’s Q1 exit at the Abu Dhabi GP: “Terminate Hamilton’s contract for next season and replace him with Bearman. This is embarrassing.” Another fan also claimed: “Seriously, get Bearman in that seat. He cannot be any worse than Hamilton.”

“If his name was not Lewis Hamilton, Oliver Bearman would be a Ferrari driver next season,” claimed another fan. While one fan suggested: “Hamilton just needs to accept the fact that he’s too old now and has lost it! The problem is not the car, it’s him. He should give the seat up and Ferrari should go get Bearman.”

One fan also claimed: “It’s sad to say but Hamilton is completely inadequate at Ferrari. He’s a great champion, who has won a lot, but moving forward will hurt Ferrari (struggling with many problems and an uncertain 2026) and the British driver. I see Oliver Bearman joining.”

An F1 fan even claimed that Ferrari would already be negotiating an early end to Bearman’s two-year loan to Haas if they were Red Bull. They noted: “If this were Red Bull, they would be on the phone to swap Bearman and Hamilton already.”

Another F1 fan has also suggested that Ferrari already have a replacement available to give Haas to promote Bearman in Formula 2 prospect Dino Beganovic. They claimed: “Bearman should replace Hamilton, and Beganovic should take the remaining Haas seat.”

Haas rookie Oliver Bearman is destined to become a future Ferrari driver

Hamilton claimed that Ferrari had “every ingredient” needed to win a championship when he moved to Maranello at the start of 2025. But his childhood dream soured rapidly, as the SF-25 could not compete at the front and Ferrari stopped developing their car back in April.

READ MORE: Who is 2025 Haas driver Oliver Bearman? Everything to know

Ferrari stopped using their wind tunnel to develop any aerodynamic upgrades for the SF-25 in April, as team principal Fred Vasseur wanted to utilise their resources on designing their car for the 2026 F1 regulations. Hamilton will be desperate for Ferrari’s sacrifice to pay off.

Hamilton has called 2025 his “worst season ever” in F1, which the record books are likely to reflect. The record 105-time Grand Prix winner cannot rank higher than sixth in the 2025 F1 drivers’ standings, even if he can add to his 152 points so far this term in the Abu Dhabi GP.

Bearman has scored 41 points for Haas so far this season, to rank 13th in the standings. The 20-year-old has also finished in the points during six of the last nine Grands Prix, and he has frequently seen his name be linked with a future move to Maranello amid Hamilton’s plight.

It is said that Bearman is imprinted on Ferrari’s future, but a drive is unlikely to be available until the 2027 season. Ferrari are particularly impressed by Bearman’s consistency, as well, having never doubted his speed after his time in their driver academy prior to joining Haas.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who replaced Hamilton at Mercedes this season, has also scored 150 points and taken three podiums through the first 23/24 rounds. The 19-year-old Italian will start the Abu Dhabi GP from P14 on the grid after a poor Q2, right ahead of Hamilton in P16.