Martin Brundle thinks Lewis Hamilton has just made rival F1 driver seek a ‘Plan B’ for 2027

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Martin Brundle thinks Oliver Bearman needs to seek a “Plan B” for the 2027 F1 campaign following Lewis Hamilton’s return to full form at Ferrari.

The seven-time world champion faced many a call for him to retire amid the height of his struggles during his first term as a Ferrari driver, with Oliver Bearman waiting in the wings at Maranello since his full F1 debut in red back in 2024.

Should Oliver Bearman look to leave the Ferrari set-up or should he bide his time?

Bearman will have to wait until 2028 for a Ferrari seat

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The 21-year-old has long been hailed as the heir apparent for Lewis Hamilton’s seat at Ferrari. The Scuderia’s top brass rate the young Briton very highly, and were even on the receiving end of calls to replace Hamilton with Bearman at the start of 2026.

Bearman’s current contract at Haas will ensure that he has a seat on the F1 grid until the end of 2027, with Ferrari likely to have inserted a clause that permits the Italian team to move him up to the works outfit whenever they see fit.

However, F1 pundit Martin Brundle has advised Bearman to seek a “Plan B” due to Hamilton’s uptick in both performance and confidence in recent months.

• READ MORE: Guenther Steiner claims Oliver Bearman’s Ferrari contract will end this year

Martin Brundle advises Oliver Bearman to seek a ‘Plan B’ amid Lewis Hamilton form

Speaking via Sky Sports F1’s coverage of FP3 at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Brundle touched upon the topic of Bearman’s future in a discussion over the performance of the grid’s midfield teams as the calendar steadily approaches the summer break.

Interestingly, last year’s race weekend in Budapest showcased a Hamilton that was arguably at the lowest point of his career. After falling out of qualifying in Q2, the Briton called himself “useless” as he publicly urged Ferrari to “change driver”.

Fast forward 12 months, and things couldn’t be more contrasting, much to the detriment of Bearman’s hopes to one day race for the famous Scuderia.

When asked if he thinks Haas will field the same driver line-up next season, Brundle responded (13:02 25/07): “No, I don’t. Haas are a brilliantly credible team on the Formula 1 grid; I wouldn’t want to underplay what they do because we’d miss them massively.

“But Ollie Bearman may need a plan B, though, because Lewis and Charles are nailed on at Ferrari for a little while. They’ve got some other fast kids coming along. Ollie Bearman was the future star, the heir apparent, of the Ferrari staircase, if you like.

“I don’t know where he goes from here, but it was interesting to hear from Ayao saying that Esteban has done well recently. I do believe, in fact, I know they’re looking at some other young drivers.”

• READ MORE: Oliver Bearman urged to ask Lewis Hamilton one thing as Red Bull show interest in move

Bearman’s name has been mentioned in the same sentences as a seat at Red Bull in recent weeks as Max Verstappen’s happiness at the team continues to ebb and flow.

However, nothing concrete has emerged from the rumours, but he stands as a strong option for the Austrian constructor to replace the four-time world champion with if he does take the plunge on leaving Red Bull this season.