Oliver Bearman says it ‘wouldn’t be worth’ racing if he didn’t think he could replace Lewis Hamilton

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Haas ace Oliver Bearman thinks it would not be “worth” going to F1 races if he did not feel “ready” to join Ferrari, amid questions over Lewis Hamilton’s future beyond 2026.

Ferrari placed Bearman on loan at Haas for his F1 debut in 2025 as part of a two-season deal for the Briton to find his footing on the grid. Hamilton even moved from Mercedes to Ferrari in 2025, after agreeing to what is thought to be a two-year deal boasting an option for 2027.

Bearman is Ferrari’s next great hope as a product of their driver academy, and he is showing for Haas why the pride of Italy believe so much in the 20-year-old. At the start of his second season in the field, Bearman sits seventh in the F1 drivers’ standings as the best of the rest.

Only Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren’s drivers rank above Bearman, who has 17 points after the first three rounds of the campaign. Bearman has even scored all but one of Haas’ points so far, and he also finished fifth in China – just shy of his career-high P4 in Mexico last term.

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Oliver Bearman wants to give Ferrari ‘a reason’ to be the first in line for their future line-up

Hamilton has also enjoyed a positive start to the 2026 F1 season, having adapted well to the new regulations after hating the ground-effect era. Seven-time F1 champion Hamilton made his first podium for Ferrari with P3 in China this March, as well as making the Sprint rostrum.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Oliver Bearman from F1 stats to net worth

But it has been said that Max Verstappen could join Ferrari in 2027 as Hamilton is expected to retire from F1 at the end of this year. It has also long been said that Bearman is destined to drive for Ferrari once a place becomes available in Maranello for the Briton to take over.

Bearman believes he is ready to race for Ferrari if a seat were to become available, and that the idea of replacing Hamilton or Charles Leclerc fuels him. But for him to ever race for the pride of Italy, Bearman knows that he must give Ferrari a reason to view him as an option.

“I feel like I am ready,” Bearman told the Daily Mail. “If I didn’t say that, it wouldn’t be worth going to the track. I am young and have years to go. I just want to give them a reason for me to be a choice. The faster I drive, the better my chances are.

“I concentrate on myself, on giving my best performances for Haas. Just as the team debrief after every weekend, I do the same internally and with my coach, as well. We make sure there is no stone left unturned.

“It is not necessarily about the result you have achieved, but about personal performance. You need to have no ego, no fear of criticising yourself.

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“But you need a good level of self-confidence. That allows you not to push blame elsewhere. For now, I am loving every minute of it.”

Emerging as Haas’ clear team leader next to one-time Grand Prix winner Esteban Ocon is an ideal way for Bearman to show Ferrari why he should be the next in line to secure a place in their line-up. But Bearman will need either of Hamilton or Leclerc to leave Ferrari to step in.

Bearman does not think Hamilton “sees me as a threat” for his Ferrari seat at present, which would also suggest that the former does not expect to move to Maranello in 2027. Leclerc is under contract to Ferrari through 2029 and he will likely stay put if they are title contenders.