Ferrari told to snub Oliver Bearman for 'super' F1 star to replace Lewis Hamilton

Bernie Ecclestone thinks Ferrari should look towards two Formula 1 rookies when identifying a potential replacement for Lewis Hamilton. But the 94-year-old former F1 supremo did not mention the name of Oliver Bearman who is the one actually being prepared by Ferrari as Hamilton's eventual successor.

Hamilton's future is firmly in the spotlight right now as a result of his comments at the Hungarian Grand Prix. After qualifying 12th in Budapest, the seven-time F1 champion declared himself "useless" and said his team "probably need to change driver".

His mood was not much better a day later when he failed to make any progress in the race and finished where he started, one lap down on the leaders. But Hamilton did at least tell reporters that he would be back after the summer break and that he still loves racing.

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has also jumped to the defence of his driver and it is understood that the team is not even beginning to entertain the idea of replacing Hamilton, either during this season or before the end of his contract which currently runs until the end of 2026.

If they were to make a change, they would in theory turn to one of their reserve drivers, Zhou Guanyu and Antonio Giovinazzi, both of whom are former F1 racers with Sauber, or British academy graduate Bearman who is currently plying his trade with customer team Haas and who is seen as Hamilton's eventual successor.

But Bernie Ecclestone believes there are a couple of other rookies on the grid who should also be considered. "If I could steal him, I would take Isack Hadjar from Racing Bulls," the former F1 supremo told Mail Sport.

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"He has done super well in his first year and is a great guy. I also rate our friend from Brazil [Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto]. He is talented. Both of them are sensible, too."

While it is unlikely that Hamilton will give up on his dream of winning an eighth F1 title just yet, Ecclestone believes it is time for the 40-year-old to move on. He said: "Lewis is very talented, was and probably still is. But, like a lot of leading sports personalities when they reach the top, there is only one way to go, and it is not a good direction. It is only down.

"They get tired. Lewis is tired. He has been doing what he is doing forever. He needs a rest from it for good, a total reset to do something completely different. He may not think it, but he will soon get used to doing other stuff away from motor racing in retirement. I think he should have done it a while ago. The guy is not a cheat. But he would be cheating himself if he goes on. He should stop now.

"If I were looking after him I would negotiate with Ferrari immediately and say, 'If you have someone to replace Lewis, he will step aside. He is not fighting for a World championship and is at a stage of his life when it would not be worth him spending two years laid up in bed with a broken back or anything else nasty. He does not need to take the risk any longer. He has won seven world titles and that is quite enough."