Bearman: Hamilton's Resurgence 'Not Ideal' for My Career

Ollie Bearman has admitted that Lewis Hamilton's Formula 1 resurgence is “not ideal” for his hopes of becoming a Ferrari driver. The 21-year-old Briton is part of the Ferrari driver academy and has been on loan at Haas, where his starring performances have led to suggestions he could earn promotion to the Scuderia.

A nightmare debut season with Ferrari for Hamilton in 2025 only ramped up speculation that Bearman could replace him sooner than later. But Hamilton has produced a remarkable turnaround under F1's new regulations. The seven-time world champion claimed his first victory with Ferrari in Barcelona and currently sits second in the world championship behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Bearman insisted he is pleased to see Hamilton return to form this year, even if it means his wait to become a Ferrari driver looks set to go on. "As an F1 fan and a Lewis fan as well, it's pretty cool to see him performing at the level he is," Bearman told F1's Beyond the Grid podcast. "Seeing him on the top step in Barcelona was quite a special moment for British F1 in general. It was three Brits on the podium, with the best driver we've ever seen in P1. That's something pretty special."

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"Of course, in terms of my future, that's not ideal. But I'm still young. I'm only 21. I'm not in a huge rush, and for me, staying at Haas for the foreseeable is not a bad thing. I feel like there's a lot to learn at this team. There's a lot to still achieve," he added.

Bearman actually made his F1 debut with Ferrari at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as a last-minute replacement for Carlos Sainz when the Spaniard was ruled out with appendicitis. While Bearman's loan deal with Haas appears set to continue into 2027, he remains determined to pull off his ultimate F1 career ambition.

"My goal remains to be a Ferrari driver one day," he explained. "Of course, I don't want to be sitting around for three, four, five years waiting for a seat to become available because there are no guarantees. You can be wasting your best years. My ultimate goal is maybe a bit selfish, and that's OK, 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."