Martin Brundle declares standout Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc replacement at Ferrari

Martin Brundle believes that Oliver Bearman is the perfect future replacement for either Lewis Hamilton or Charles Leclerc at Ferrari. The Haas prodigy scored a career-best fourth-place finish at the Mexican Grand Prix last time out.

Bearman has been one part of a sublime rookie class in 2025. The Essex-born starlet has scored points in seven Grands Prix this year, leading experienced team-mate Esteban Ocon in the Drivers' Championship standings and spearheading Haas' Constructors' Championship fight with Aston Martin, Racing Bulls and Sauber.

In Mexico City, he pounced on some lap-one chaos and finished ahead of the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri and George Russell to seal Haas' best result of the campaign. For many, that performance was the final piece of the jigsaw, with the Brit now being tipped for his long-touted switch to Ferrari.

"Absolutely outstanding. If you give that young man an opportunity, he'll grab it, like he did in Saudi Arabia with the Ferrari drive," Brundle stated on The F1 Show. "He kept his head under a lot of pressure, especially in the closing stages with Oscar Piastri's McLaren behind him. He put a move on Max, made it stick, didn't go four wheels off the road, just.

"The moment that there's a seat at Ferrari for whatever reason, then Bearman should be in it as far as I'm concerned. I think he's outstanding and he's learning fast, and he's making the most of his opportunity."

Brundle's lofty billing was backed up by 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, who has been impressed with the Brit's temperament. He noted: "He's a very aggressive driver but always under control, he has a tremendous race craft, good 3D space awareness. And not many drivers in F1 now have that.

"You see it with even some of the top guys - sometimes you see some moves and think what was he thinking? Where did he think his car would end up? Or how didn't he realise there would be other cars on the track next to him? And he seems to have that, which is great, and it's very promising for the future.

"He's the kind of driver who seems to be better with the pressure, better in the big teams, better in the big league. He's better now than when he was in the smaller categories, and that's super important."

The links between Bearman and Ferrari are understandable, given that the 20-year-old remains connected to the Ferrari programme, despite being a full-time driver with Haas. However, as he explained to Express Sport at the Dutch Grand Prix, a future with the Scuderia is not at the front of his mind.

"Yeah, of course it's in the back of my mind," he explained. "And I was very lucky to have a taste of Ferrari for my first ever race, but my future at the moment is with Haas, and I'm really excited to see what we can do together.

"And the more I can show now, the better my chances are in the future. So it's very easy to not think about that, focus on the task at hand and try and do as best as I can."