Ferrari are now monitoring potential Lewis Hamilton replacement after they were impressed by his data

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Ferrari will know that even though they only just signed Lewis Hamilton, they need to start putting plans in place for when he eventually decides to walk away from the sport.

Lewis Hamilton is racing in his 18th consecutive Formula 1 season this year, and only Fernando Alonso has started more races than the seven-time world champion.

Hamilton’s Ferrari debut campaign hasn’t gone as he or the team would have planned.

Heading into the United States Grand Prix, the 40-year-old is still waiting for his first Grand Prix podium with the Scuderia.

Charles Leclerc has been very bleak about Ferrari’s chances, believing that a victory before the end of the current campaign is virtually impossible.

Next year’s F1 regulation changes are Hamilton and Leclerc’s main hope that they’ll be championship contenders; otherwise, both drivers might consider their futures.

Leclerc has been linked with several of Ferrari’s rivals, while Fred Vasseur will know that there’s a risk that Hamilton simply walks away from the sport.

Nelson Piquet Jr has been discussing the driver market, and believes that if Hamilton does quit F1, it’s Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto that Ferrari will make a play for.

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Nelson Piquet Jr believes Ferrari have already been impressed by Gabriel Bortoleto

Piquet was speaking about Bortoleto’s future on the Pelas Pistas Podcast ahead of Sunday’s race in Austin, and he said: “I think Ferrari is the way forward for him.

“I don’t know if it’s because of this year’s connection with the Ferrari engines he’s using at Sauber. Next year it won’t be anymore, right?

“But sometimes they see something in him, because they have the data, right? They have a certain connection with Sauber, and because of the work he’s done this year, obviously, he’s definitely on their radar.

“So I think that if, for any reason, something happened to Hamilton, he would leave.

“I think there’s a good chance Ferrari would knock on Audi’s door at Sauber and say, when do you want us to take the boy?”

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

Ferrari target Gabriel Bortoleto looks ahead to the United States Grand Prix

Bortoleto has already been linked to Ferrari in the midst of Hamilton and Leclerc’s futures both being somewhat uncertain.

Ted Kravitz believes Bortoleto is committed to the Audi project, although he also admitted that all the ‘top teams’ are keeping a close eye on the Brazilian.

Bortoleto has impressed this season, particularly in qualifying, where he’s outperforming teammate Nico Hulkenberg.

Ahead of the United States Grand Prix, Bortoleto spoke about his first event in Austin in his official pre-race statement and said: “I’m really looking forward to racing in Austin: it’s one of those circuits you always hear good things about, and I’ve been preparing for it at the sim.

“We’ve done our homework since Singapore, and we are prepared for the upcoming weekend.

“Of course, we’ll need to make the most of the single practice session to get familiar with the track and fine-tune our car, but if we stay sharp and take our chances, I am confident we can put together a decent performance.”

Bortoleto won’t be moving teams any time soon, but a strong 2026 campaign to follow up an impressive maiden season with Sauber will put him on the radar of plenty of teams.