Haas's breakout star is among the names being discussed to fill the seven-time world champion's seat when he eventually decides to call it a career.
Lewis Hamilton is not immortal, and the shadow of retirement loomed large throughout his difficult 2025 season with Ferrari. While 2026 appears to be a more competitive chapter for the Scuderia, the reality is that Hamilton is no rookie — and conversations about his future could come sooner than many expect.
Predictably, potential successors have already begun to surface. Among the names Ferrari could be eyeing to replace its seven-time world champion is Oliver Bearman, Haas's rising star — a driver who already has Ferrari experience after stepping in for Carlos Sainz in an emergency situation last season.
But Bearman is not the only name in the conversation. Max Verstappen has also been mentioned as a possibility, particularly if unexpected movement in the driver market opens up seats — such as a potential retirement from Fernando Alonso, which would leave a vacancy at Aston Martin.
What did Haas say about potentially losing Oliver Bearman?
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu addressed the question head-on in comments published by F1i, delivering a composed but candid response: "It's no point worrying about it. I'm a strong believer in controlling what you can control. Ferrari has been investing in him for many, many years."
"So, we've got him for last year and this year, so we've got to focus on what we can control. If we've done a great job with Ollie, and Ollie performed so well that Ferrari really wants to take him the following year, we have to be happy that we've done our job."
"[In the future] that'll be just a discussion between us and Ferrari. We all are just focused on getting the best performance out of the car and out of Ollie. If that meant we lost him for next year, hopefully not. But that's not something we can control."
As things stand, Bearman is delivering an impressive campaign in a Haas that is far from the sharpest tool on the grid. The young British driver sits seventh in the Drivers' Championship with 17 points — ahead of names like Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz, and, perhaps most tellingly, ahead of his own teammate Esteban Ocon.
The relationship between Haas and Ferrari adds another layer of complexity to the situation. As a Ferrari customer team — using Ferrari power units and a range of components — driver movement between the two outfits is far from unusual. More importantly, Bearman is a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, meaning Maranello ultimately holds the cards when it comes to deciding where he races next.