Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has once again firmly backed Oliver Bearman as Lewis Hamilton's natural successor at Ferrari.
While the 2025 season saw the seven-time world champion struggle with the Scuderia, the paddock is already looking toward the horizon.
That is where Bearman enters the conversation. Fresh off a first full season in F1 that earned Steiner’s nod as 2025 Rookie of the Year, the young Briton is being spoken about not just as a future Ferrari driver, but as a potential heir to Hamilton himself – a notion Steiner appears more than comfortable entertaining.
A Maiden Season That Flipped the Switch
Bearman’s debut campaign with Haas ended with 41 points and 13th in the drivers’ standings, placing him ahead of experienced team-mate Esteban Ocon.
The raw numbers were respectable, but Steiner’s interest lay in how dramatically Bearman’s form evolved as the year unfolded.
"I mean this year starting off being fast but making mistakes, but second half of the season he got rid of them, and it's just like a switch," Steiner said during The Red Flags Podcast.
That turning point was critical. Early aggression gave way to control, even if the learning curve was occasionally painful.
"In the first half of the season, I thought he's taking too much risk with the car he had, and therefore he had a few offs, and it wasn't good, got a lot of penalty points.
“He still kept on collecting them in the second half of the season but he didn't make mistakes anymore, even in the race, fighting hard."
The transformation was underlined by a standout fourth-place finish at the Mexican Grand Prix – a result that signaled Bearman’s readiness for bigger conversations.
Ferrari Thinking Beyond Hamilton
With Hamilton now having completed his first Ferrari season, speculation around how long his Maranello chapter will ultimately last has only intensified. Steiner, never one to dance around the issue, sees Bearman as the natural contingency plan.
"We all know that he can overtake and as you said, I think for him the door should be open to Ferrari for '27, because if Lewis hasn't got the success he needs to have, I don't think that he continues and then there is the obvious candidate there for Ferrari,” the Italian explained.
The implication is clear: Ferrari’s next great transition may already be in motion. Hamilton’s presence brings immediate impact, but Bearman represents continuity – youth aligned with the Scuderia’s long-term future.
Bearman’s rise came in one of the most competitive rookie classes in recent memory. Kimi Antonelli led the newcomers with 150 points at Mercedes, followed by Isack Hadjar, with Bearman narrowly edging Liam Lawson in the standings. Gabriel Bortoleto and Franco Colapinto rounded out the group further back.
Yet for Steiner, this was never just about finishing positions. It was about trajectory. On the eve of a regulation-shaking 2026 season, Ferrari may already be weighing whether Bearman’s steep upward curve makes him more than just a prospect – but the logical next chapter once Hamilton’s mission in red reaches its conclusion.
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