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Bernie Ecclestone Names Ideal Lewis Hamilton Replacement For Ferrari

Who should replace Lewis Hamilton when he leaves Ferrari? Bernie Ecclestone has a theory!
Ewan Gale|
Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Lewis Hamilton's pre-summer break form led to the seven-time Formula 1 world champion to come out with a startling message.

He said "I'm useless" and that Ferrari "should probably change driver" after failing to reach Q3 at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the final race before the championship took three weeks off.

It didn't help Hamilton that teammate Charles Leclerc took advantage of track evolution and climactic changes to take pole position for the race at the Hungaroring, though failed to secure a podium finish on the Sunday.

Surprise replacement for Hamilton?

Hamilton made the move to Ferrari in what was supposed to be a dream partnership between the statistically greatest driver and team in F1 history, but despite victory in the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race - the second round of the campaign - struggles have followed.

The Scuderia's ride height issues that saw it disqualified from the Shanghai main race have persisted throughout, leading to a lack of performance in some races, as seen with Leclerc in Hungary. But Hamilton's troubles in the last two races before the summer break were largely down to him and followed the narrative of the past four seasons under the current regulations.

Though Hamilton has insisted that those comments are "obviously not how I truly feel," his F1 future has still been the subject of speculation and former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has already earmarked a successor that Ferrari should target.

Bernie Ecclestone
May 27, 2011; MONACO; Formula One president Bernie Ecclestone before for the 2011 Monaco Grand Prix. Mandatory Credit: Andreas Pranter/GEPA via Imagn Images | GEPA/Imagn Images

"You have to choose an aspiring driver," Ecclestone told Sport.de. "I would take the Brazilian [Gabriel] Bortoleto, who I think will be very good, or Isack Hadjar. Bortoleto does the job. Put him in the right car and you will see."

Both drivers mentioned are rookies, but Bortoleto has been the competitor most under the radar. Having won F3 and F2 titles in successive years, the Brazilian joined the Sauber team in its final year before becoming the Audi works' outfit in 2026.

His entry to the grid was far less hyped than other rookies with manufacturer backing, like Red Bull junior Hadjar, Mercedes protege Kimi Antonelli or Ferrari's Haas-placed youngster Oliver Bearman.

A warning to Verstappen

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen's future had been up in the air for the first half of the season with rumors suggesting he would look to leave a Red Bull team in turmoil.

Those fears have now subsided but are likely to return in 2026 should Red Bull fail to turn the ship around now that a management change has taken place.

Warning the Dutchman, Ecclestone said: "If he goes to Ferrari, that would be the end of his career. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen."

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Ewan Gale
EWAN GALE

Ewan is a motorsport journalist covering F1 for Grand Prix On SI. Having been educated at Silverstone, the home of the British Grand Prix, and subsequently graduating from university with a sports journalism degree, Ewan made a move into F1 in 2021. Ewan joins after a stint with Autosport as an editor, having written for a number of outlets including RacingNews365 and GPFans, during which time he has covered grand prix and car launches as an accredited member of the media.

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