Ferrari have added ‘extremely fast’ winless driver to their 2027 ‘wishlist’ if Lewis Hamilton leaves

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The future of Ferrari’s driver line-up shouldn’t be a talking point given Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton’s current contracts.

However, Ferrari’s underperformance has seen Charles Leclerc losing patience with the team that have guided his Formula 1 career, and Lewis Hamilton facing a season without scoring a podium.

After the Singapore Grand Prix, when the team once again failed to challenge for victory, Leclerc admitted Ferrari were too far off the pace to even think about winning a race this year.

Considering McLaren have already won the constructors’ championship, and Red Bull and Mercedes have now won multiple Grand Prix, team principal Fred Vasseur will be feeling the pressure despite recently signing a new contract.

Both Hamilton and Leclerc’s Ferrari futures have been questioned, which raises the question of who could replace them?

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri has been linked with Ferrari, and that could cause havoc in the driver market if he does decide to move to Maranello.

Piastri’s frustration with McLaren at the Singapore Grand Prix is only going to fan those flames, but a younger driver with plenty of promise has also caught Ferrari’s attention.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Ferrari add Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto to their ‘wishlist’ if Lewis Hamilton leaves in 2027

The Swiss outlet Blick has shared more details about the Formula 1 driver market heading into 2026.

Very few decisions still need to be made ahead of next year, although Red Bull, Racing Bulls, Alpine, and technically Mercedes still haven’t confirmed both of their drivers for next year.

However, with new regulations arriving in 2026 and plenty of contracts set to end, speculation for the following campaign is already starting.

Leclerc’s camp have reportedly approached Red Bull with the Monegasque driver beginning to question whether he’ll ever be given a championship-winning car at Ferrari.

Hamilton controls a clause in his contract over a 2027 extension, but he may wonder whether another year in Formula 1 is worth it if Ferrari aren’t competitive enough.

The report suggests that while Leclerc and Hamilton’s futures are ‘uncertain’, several drivers would potentially be in contention.

Either Alex Albon or Carlos Sainz would leave Williams if a call from a ‘top team’ came in, and apparently, the same thing could happen at Sauber, soon to be Audi.

It’s believed that Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto is on Ferrari’s ‘wishlist’ for the 2027 season.

The youngster has impressed since making his debut in Australia, with Hulkenberg describing Bortoleto as ‘extremely fast’ during their first season together.

READ MORE: Who is 2025 Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto? Everything you need to know

Gabriel Bortoleto reflects on a difficult Singapore Grand Prix after pointless Sauber weekend

Earlier in the season, Ted Kravitz suggested all the top teams were interested in Bortoleto, but he wasn’t interested in quitting the Audi project.

Before the Singapore Grand Prix, Bortoleto had outqualified Hulkenberg in seven consecutive races, highlighting his awesome potential.

However, the 20-year-old had to settle for P17 in Singapore, and reflecting in his post-race media session, he said: “It definitely wasn’t the best race for us today.

“I picked up some damage on lap one after contact in turn one — we went three-wide and unfortunately touched and broke the front wing.

“This forced us to pit to change it, which cost us some time, and from then on it was always going to be a difficult race.

“Our pace wasn’t the strongest, and once we fell behind Colapinto, we knew it would be hard to get back past — overtaking here is extremely difficult.”

Bortoleto’s seat is secure for 2026, and all eyes are on how competitive Audi will be on their Formula 1 debut.

There’s a chance joining Ferrari could end up being a downgrade, but the allure of racing for F1’s most iconic team would still be hard to turn down.