Ferrari told Oliver Bearman and Carlos Sainz could outperform Lewis Hamilton alongside Charles Leclerc in 2025
Ferrari’s high-profile signing of Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 Formula 1 season was hailed as a bold and historic move, but the results so far have fallen well short of expectations. Former team manager and respected F1 analyst Peter Windsor has suggested that both Oliver Bearman and Carlos Sainz could have delivered stronger performances than the seven-time world champion in Maranello’s red cars.
The British driver made the switch from Mercedes to Ferrari at the age of 40, a transition that always carried significant risk. His current standing in the F1 Drivers’ Championship highlights the scale of that challenge. While Ferrari’s SF25 has not consistently matched the pace of rivals Red Bull or McLaren, the Italian squad still anticipated more impact from a driver of Hamilton’s calibre. Instead, Charles Leclerc has often had the upper hand, leaving Ferrari management and fans frustrated with the lack of progress.
Hamilton’s troubled start to life at Ferrari
The season has been riddled with setbacks for Hamilton. At the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, he received a last-minute radio warning from Ferrari before a dramatic crash forced his retirement. With both Ferraris out of the race, the team’s hopes of closing the gap to their rivals in the Constructors’ Championship suffered another heavy blow. Despite this, the Scuderia still sees a chance to fight for second place in the standings during the final nine races of the campaign, though it will require flawless execution and significant improvement.
Windsor argued that the situation could have been avoided if Ferrari had opted for continuity or fresh young talent. He claimed that retaining Carlos Sainz, who now drives for Williams, or promoting academy star Oliver Bearman would have given Ferrari more stability and perhaps better results in 2025. Windsor stressed that Lewis Hamilton’s arrival had never fully convinced him, calling the decision “a move that didn’t make sense for Ferrari then and makes even less sense now.”
A worrying Ferrari record for Hamilton
One of the most striking statistics of Lewis Hamilton’s time at Ferrari is his unwanted record: the most Ferrari starts without achieving a podium finish. For a driver with 103 career victories and multiple world titles, this represents an unprecedented dip in performance. The stark contrast with Charles Leclerc, who has consistently extracted more from the SF25, has only intensified scrutiny over Ferrari’s decision to gamble on Hamilton’s experience.
The team’s wider issues also remain unresolved. Ferrari insiders admit that the current car concept has reached its limits, with development paths narrowing as rivals surge ahead. Technical Director Loïc Serra, recently recruited after years at Mercedes, is tasked with reshaping Ferrari’s technical direction. His arrival is intended to bring fresh expertise and innovative solutions, but it may take time before results materialize on track.
Oliver Bearman and Carlos Sainz as alternative choices
Windsor was clear in his assessment: Ferrari had better options available. He pointed to Oliver Bearman, the promising Ferrari junior who impressed with his substitute performance for Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia in 2024, as a driver who could already be delivering stronger performances in the SF25. He also underlined the consistency of Carlos Sainz, noting that the Spaniard had built valuable knowledge within Ferrari before being released to make way for Hamilton. In his opinion, either driver would have been better suited to the challenges Ferrari faces today.
According to Peter Windsor, Ferrari could have chosen “any number of drivers” who would be producing more reliable results than Hamilton is currently able to offer. The implication is clear: the Scuderia’s gamble on star power over stability may backfire, especially with a critical regulation change looming in 2026.
Should Hamilton have stayed at Mercedes?
The broader question now being asked across the paddock is whether Hamilton made the right choice by leaving Mercedes at all. At the German outfit, he was set to remain as a lifelong ambassador after his retirement and enjoy the send-off he always envisioned. The team also had rising star Kimi Antonelli in their academy, meaning Lewis Hamilton’s continued presence would have allowed the teenager more time to develop before stepping into a top seat.
From a competitive standpoint, Lewis Hamilton was deeply familiar with Mercedes machinery and might have extracted better results there than he has so far with Ferrari’s SF25. Instead, his move has plunged him into what Peter Windsor described as a “tragic Ferrari scenario,” where the pressure of expectations outweighs the team’s current capabilities. For Ferrari, the high-profile signing has yet to deliver on its promise, leaving many wondering if their pursuit of Hamilton was more symbolic than strategic.
Looking ahead to Ferrari’s future
As Ferrari battles through a turbulent season, the attention is already shifting toward the winter and the crucial development cycle ahead of the 2026 rules reset. Windsor’s comments highlight the urgency for the Scuderia to rethink its approach—not just in terms of car design but also in the drivers it entrusts with carrying its ambitions forward. Whether Hamilton can turn things around remains uncertain, but the pressure is mounting on both the driver and the team to justify a move that, for now, looks increasingly difficult to defend.
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