F1 team boss names potential Lewis Hamilton replacement at Ferrari
Haas F1 Team Principal Ayao Komatsu revealed the 19-year-old option for Ferrari to replace Lewis Hamilton in the future.
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Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari's racing suit (via @lewishamilton/Instagram)
Lewis Hamilton has joined Scuderia Ferrari this year. The seven-time world champion’s Maranello switch has been the talk of the town in the past year. However, Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu has reckoned that the Italian team already has a replacement for the Briton.
Haas has signed Ferrari junior driver Oliver Bearman for the 2025 season. The 19-year-old has shown impressive pace in his limited F1 running so far. Komatsu revealed that the American team has Bearman on loan from the Scuderia for a 2+1 deal.
He [Oliver Bearman] is a Ferrari driver, and we’ve got him [on loan] for two years – two plus one.
Ayao Komatsu said, as reported by RacingNews365
Nevertheless, Ayao Komatsu asserted that if the young talent can deliver results on-track during his time at Haas, there will be no way for Ferrari to ignore him. As such, Oliver Bearman could be the ideal driver to replace Lewis Hamilton once the 40-year-old retires.
But if we do a good job [with him] before he does a good job, there’s no way Ferrari can ignore that.
Ayao Komatsu noted
Oliver Bearman not treated ‘like a rookie’
The 19-year-old already made his F1 debut last year. Oliver Bearman has worked well with Haas in FP1 sessions as well. Ayao Komatsu reckoned that he doesn’t treat the Ferrari junior as a rookie. Rather, the American team gives full focus to whatever Bearman has to say when it comes to feedback.
I don’t treat him as a rookie. In the sense that, he can drive a lot, and with these young engineers as well, they can grow together. And we don’t treat him as a rookie as we pay lots of attention to what he has to say.
Ayao Komatsu explained
Certainly, Bearman remains a promising talent for Ferrari in the future. Currently the Scuderia has its complete attention on Lewis Hamilton’s on-track debut. Though, things could change in the next year or two if Hamilton’s massive team switch does not live up to the hype.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2348 Articles Published)