Lewis Hamilton’s stint at Ferrari has been utterly crushing. Despite all the excitement surrounding his switch from Mercedes, it’s been a catastrophic maiden campaign for the seven-time world champion who hasn’t managed a single Ferrari podium across 21 races.

His most recent contribution to that unwelcome tally came this past Sunday when he crashed out of the Brazilian Grand Prix following a collision with Franco Colapinto. With only three races left in the 2025 season, the 40-year-old might be just one spot behind teammate Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ championship, but the points deficit between them is a massive 66.

Leclerc also withdrew from the Sao Paulo race, capping off what proved to be a nightmare weekend for the Italian squad. The drivers were also forced to endure scathing remarks from Ferrari’s president John Elkann who instructed Hamilton and Leclerc to “talk less and focus on driving”.

“If we look at the Formula 1 championship, we can say that our mechanics are winning the championship with their performance and everything they’ve done on the pit stops,” he said.

“If we look at our engineers, there’s no doubt that the car has improved. If we look at the rest, it’s not up to par. And we certainly have drivers for whom it’s important that they focus on driving and talk less.”

Hamilton was understandably dejected following the race, venting his frustrations about what he branded a “nightmare” season whilst speaking to Sky F1. He said: “I mean this is a nightmare. Been living here for a while. Definitely between the dream of driving for this amazing team and then the nightmare of the results that we’ve had, the ups and downs, it’s challenging.”

Whilst the Brit is anticipated to return next season, should he choose to hang up his helmet on what has been a legendary racing career, we examine who might be selected to fill the iconic Ferrari seat should he make a shock exit from the team.

Ollie Bearman

The standout candidate that springs to mind when discussing Hamilton’s potential replacement at Ferrari is undoubtedly Ollie Bearman. Having been part of Ferrari’s Driver Academy since 2022, the Haas racer actually competed for the Italian outfit in 2024 when standing in for Carlos Sainz at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where he secured seventh place in his maiden F1 outing.

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Ollie Bearman revealed he failed his first driving test(Image: Getty Images)

The 20-year-old has delivered a remarkable debut season with Haas where he occupies 11th position in the Drivers’ Championship table and sits merely four points behind Isack Hadjar and Nico Hulkenberg in ninth place.

F1 correspondent Ted Kravitz identified Bearman as Ferrari’s future and suggested inheriting Hamilton’s seat is a matter of when, not if. Despite Haas’ insistence that Bearman will remain with the team until 2027, his recent performances, where he’s scored points in each of the last four races, could tempt Ferrari to secure his services earlier than anticipated.

Carlos Sainz

In a surprising twist, Carlos Sainz has been tipped for a sensational return to Ferrari. This would occur if the Italian team and Hamilton agree to terminate the Brit’s contract ahead of the 2026 season.

Sainz – who signed for Williams this year – was forced to give up his seat last year due to Hamilton’s arrival. However, considering Hamilton’s disappointing debut season at Ferrari, the return of Sainz could become a reality, according to former F1 driver and FIA Steward Johnny Herbert.

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Carlos Sainz is set to be replaced for a session at the Mexico City Grand Prix(Image: Getty Images)

While the exact duration of Hamilton’s Ferrari contract remains undisclosed, it was announced as a “multi-year” deal. Nevertheless, Herbert believes this agreement could be terminated, and Sainz would be the ideal replacement for the Brit, given his ability to compete against Leclerc – a challenge Hamilton has struggled with this season.

Herbert stated: “I don’t think it would be Verstappen [chosen to replace Hamilton]. It could be one of the younger drivers, I guess. But I saw a little interview with Carlos Sainz and when asked if he would go back to Ferrari, he replied: ‘Yeah, maybe!’”.

“Carlos was doing an absolutely brilliant job and was really keeping Charles under control. He’s still young. He’s still doing a good job, even if he’s struggling with Williams a bit. But we know how good he was when he was at Ferrari.”