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

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Karun Chandhok feels Oliver Bearman must speak to Red Bull if a seat is available for 2027, but the Haas F1 driver should talk to Lewis Hamilton before exploring a switch.

Bearman has recently found he is now one of the latest drivers to be brought into the F1 silly season rumour mill. The 21-year-old has continued to impress for Haas throughout the start of his second term on the grid, and he is not currently locked in for a third year for the team.

Ferrari loaned Bearman to Haas on a two-year deal for the Briton to make his full-season F1 debut in 2025. He is a product of the Ferrari Driver Academy and is widely seen as the next in line to race for the Scuderia once Hamilton retires – which he stresses will not be just yet.

Oliver Bearman must speak to Red Bull if Lewis Hamilton is not retiring anytime soon

With no room at the Ferrari inn until at least 2028, David Croft recently claimed that Red Bull are keeping tabs on Bearman. Red Bull may find they need to dip into the driver market this year as four-time champion Max Verstappen continually refuses to confirm he is staying put.

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

Croft also doubled down during FP1 at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix this Friday that Red Bull are “quite keen” on Bearman, after Chandhok suggested that he feels “a bit bad” for him as Haas have “gone backwards”. Bearman scored points in three of the first five Grands Prix to start the 2026 season, but he has not finished higher than 12th through the past four races.

So, if Red Bull advance their interest in Bearman, then Chandhok thinks the Haas star would have to hold talks. But Chandhok adds that joining Red Bull would be a gamble, so Bearman should also speak with Hamilton to see when he intends to retire and open a seat at Ferrari.

Chandhok said on Sky Sports F1 (17/07, 13:07): “I think if there’s a race seat available at Red Bull Racing, then of course Ollie and his management have to have a conversation about it.

“But I think the reality is he’s the man waiting in the wings for the day that Lewis Hamilton chooses to stop. Now, Lewis is on a great run of form this season, so he may not stop in the immediate future. But one day, the time will come when Lewis will choose to stop, and Ollie’s put himself firmly in pole position to take that seat.

“So, that’s the sacrifice he will have to make, ‘Am I willing to sacrifice being the man in waiting for whenever Lewis chooses to stop versus taking the race seat at Red Bull?’

“It’s not an easy decision to make, because what does that mean in terms of ‘Am I going up against Max? Am I going up against Isack [Hadjar]? It’s a whole new world that I don’t really know’. Whereas at Ferrari, he knows that he’s loved.

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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“So, that’s the balance he needs to weigh up. And actually, in some ways, he needs to go and talk to Lewis and go, ‘By the way, what are you doing? How long are you going to stick around for?’ Because that’s going to have a big knock-on effect on his career progression.

“He needs to go and understand from Lewis, because that’s his natural career trajectory. And if you’re throwing this Red Bull option into the mix, he’s got to think long and hard about it because if there’s a seat in a top team, you have to consider it, of course.”

Croft has fuelled the suggestions that Red Bull are interested in Bearman as their team boss Laurent Mekies was the man who signed the Briton to the Ferrari Driver Academy during his time in Maranello. Bearman joined the FDA in 2022, and he is contracted to Ferrari for 2027.

It remains to be seen how much truth there actually is in the idea that Red Bull are keen on Bearman, who noted on Thursday ahead of the Belgian GP that he finds it “quite flattering” to be linked with the team. But, as far as 2027 is concerned, Ferrari still control his future.

The most likely outcome is that Ferrari will loan Bearman to Haas for at least one more year in 2027, as Hamilton and team boss Fred Vasseur insist that the seven-time champion has a contract for next season. Charles Leclerc also recently agreed to a new contract with Ferrari.