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Lewis Hamilton is in all likelihood heading into his final season at Ferrari. According to Swiss outlet Blick, the Scuderia have already identified three candidates to sit alongside Charles Leclerc from 2027 onwards, and the current direction of travel points toward one of them more clearly than the others.
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Hamilton arrived at Ferrari in 2025 with enormous expectation and endured a season without a single podium. 2026 has been better, with a third place in China representing his first Ferrari podium, but the improvement has not been enough to change the team's thinking about the long-term lineup. Ferrari are reportedly ready to move on.
Bearman Is the Leading Candidate
Blick reports that Oliver Bearman currently sits at the top of Ferrari's list. The Ferrari junior, racing for Haas in his second full Formula 1 season, made a strong impression in his debut year and has continued to develop. His audition for the seat has been running in plain sight, and the team know exactly what they have. Bearman already stood in for Ferrari in 2024 when Carlos Sainz required emergency surgery for appendicitis before the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, finishing seventh in his first Formula 1 start. That result proved he could handle the pressure of a Ferrari cockpit without preparation time.
Verstappen Is on the List
Frédéric Vasseur has also included Verstappen in his considerations. The logic is straightforward: Red Bull appear to have fallen back to the fourth-fastest team, Verstappen's patience is finite, and a driver who has won four consecutive world championships would transform Ferrari's title prospects. The parallel with Sebastian Vettel, who also won four titles with Red Bull before joining Ferrari, writes itself. Whether the outcome would be the same is a different question.
Sainz Would Be Going Full Circle
The third name is Sainz, who was pushed out of Ferrari to make room for Hamilton after 2024, having delivered two podiums and shown genuine competitiveness in his final year at the team. He could conceivably return in the reverse direction. His current situation at Williams, where he is struggling to connect with the front of the field under the new regulations, makes a move back to a top team increasingly attractive. He has also been linked to a return to McLaren if Oscar Piastri departs for Red Bull, so Ferrari would need to move quickly if they want him.
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