Ollie Bearman spent his first two years in Formula 1 being described as the man who will one day replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari. Halfway through 2026, that plan has a problem: Hamilton is winning again, and Charles Leclerc has signed a deal that could keep him in red into the 2030s.
Bearman addressed it directly on the F1 Beyond the Grid podcast, and he did not pretend the maths works in his favour.
"As an F1 fan and a Lewis fan as well, it's pretty cool to see him performing at the level he is and seeing him on the top step in Barcelona was quite a special moment for British F1 in general," Bearman said. "It was three Brits on the podium, with the best British driver, the best driver we've ever seen in P1. That's something pretty special. Of course, in terms of my future, that's not ideal, but I'm still young."
The 21-year-old joined the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2022 and made his debut for the Scuderia at Jeddah in 2024, substituting for an unwell Carlos Sainz and scoring points on his first start. He is currently leading Esteban Ocon 18 points to three at Haas, having beaten him over the whole of 2025 as well. On merit, the case is made. On availability, there is nowhere to go.
Bearman's answer is patience with a deadline attached.
"My goal remains to be a Ferrari driver one day," he said. "Of course, I don't want to be sitting around for three, four, five years waiting for a seat to become available because there's no guarantees, and then you can be wasting your best years. My ultimate goal is maybe a bit selfish, and that's okay, because that's the reason I'm here: I want to be fighting for world championships. So if I can have that opportunity wherever, I will take it."
Guenther Steiner, who ran Haas when Bearman was cutting his teeth in FP1 sessions, has argued for months that the wait is the wrong strategy. Speaking to Casino.org, the former team principal said Bearman is already past the point where a midfield car serves him.
"I think Oliver now is ready to go to a team where he can win races or at least go to the podium," Steiner said. "He is very young though, and we can't forget that. So he will need to be patient."
Steiner also suspects the contract already anticipates this. "He will likely have some clauses in his contract with Ferrari that, should an offer come along for one of the leading teams, that he can leave Haas and go there. Because that's his next move. He's had his learning with Haas, he had good results last year with Haas, he will have good results this year, but then you need to move on if you want to go to the podium."
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu, asked in June whether Bearman was certain to be in one of his cars next season, declined to answer it himself. "Is Ollie already certain to be racing with us next year? I think you should ask Fred Vasseur that question directly," Komatsu said in quotes reported by AutoRacer — an unusually blunt admission that the driver on his books is not really his to keep.
Vasseur, for his part, is not entertaining the follow-up question. Asked before the British Grand Prix about extending Hamilton beyond his current deal, the Ferrari boss pushed back on the premise.
"Who spoke about the extension?" Vasseur said. "Ok, I will discuss with him for the extension, with everybody. He is still under contract with us and it's not time to discuss about an extension."
Where the three views diverge is on how long patience is affordable. Steiner treats the Haas phase as finished and expects a move to a front-running team regardless of the badge. Bearman is still framing Ferrari as the destination while quietly reserving the right to go elsewhere. Komatsu is planning a 2027 line-up he cannot fully control.
The Aston Martin link, floated should Fernando Alonso step away, got a cool reception. "Aston Martin are going through a tough time, but I'm sure that one day they will be incredibly strong," Bearman said. "But I wouldn't say I'm looking towards them at this stage."
Hamilton, now 41, has said retirement is "not even on my thoughts" and has confirmed he will be at Ferrari in 2027. That is the number that governs everything else here. Bearman's contract at Haas expires at the end of this year.
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*Originally published on [News Formula One](https://newsformula.one/article/bearman-s-ferrari-wait-hamilton-s-revival-changed-the-timeline). Visit for full coverage.*