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Lewis Hamilton’s painful first season at Ferrari has led outsiders to question whether he will see out his contract at Maranello. His deal is said to run until the end of 2027.
Hamilton didn’t score a podium in 2025 and was beaten by Charles Leclerc in 44 of the 56 sessions where both drivers were classified. While he expected a much quicker car, the team must have been disappointed by his performance levels too.
Some at Ferrari ‘resented’ Hamilton’s recommendations for structural changes in the months after he joined. John Elkann told Ferrari’s drivers to ‘talk less’, and some believe this was directed primarily at the 40-year-old.
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Both parties will be deeply unhappy with how the 2025 season played out, and there are signs that the relationship is under strain. But according to Sport Bild, there’s currently no prospect of Hamilton’s contract being broken.
Ferrari won’t release Lewis Hamilton from his contract
Fred Vasseur and those around him ‘still believe in Hamilton’ even after the worst year of his career in terms of his results. There’s hope that he will be more comfortable in the new generation of cars after a brutal adaptation period.
There are also financial considerations at play. Ferrari are paying Hamilton £88m this year when image rights are included, so the payout if they sacked him would be enormous.
Finish the sentence: In 2027, the Ferrari driver line-up will be…
Hamilton doesn’t have to worry about ‘a forced dismissal’ at this stage. However, Ferrari have begun planning for the future, which makes sense given his age.
There is a ‘shortlist’ of replacements and Haas driver Oliver Bearman, part of the Ferrari academy, sits at the top of it.
Haas don’t want to jeopardise Ferrari relationship by blocking Oliver Bearman move
Ferrari were impressed that Bearman required ‘almost no settling-in period’ during his first season in F1. The 20-year-old scored 41 points, three more than his established teammate Esteban Ocon.
The Scuderia took note of his performance at the Mexico City GP, where he finished a career-high fourth. Bearman overtook Max Verstappen in a seminal drive.
Haas say Bearman is ‘nailed down’ for the 2026 season, but the team are also eager to protect their long-term relationship with Ferrari. If it all went to plan, he was only likely to stay for two to three years anyway.
Ferrari supply engines and suspension elements to Ayao Komatsu’s team, which made them an ideal starting point for Bearman.
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