Hamilton told to retire as Ferrari urged to back Bearman

Ralf Schumacher says Lewis Hamilton should retire at the end of 2026 and that Ferrari should use the seat to start a generational change by promoting Oliver Bearman.

Speaking on Sky Germany’s Backstage Boxengasse, the former Formula 1 driver argued that Hamilton’s start to life at Ferrari has been better than his difficult 2025 campaign, but said the bigger picture still points toward Charles Leclerc holding the upper hand over a full season.

Schumacher said Hamilton was “definitely in a better position again this year, no question” and called his early Ferrari form “super” and “a kind of comeback.” He pointed to Hamilton taking his first Ferrari podium in the second race of 2026 in China after ending the whole of 2025 without a single podium finish.

Even so, Schumacher said Hamilton has to accept that he will “probably” have “no chance against Charles Leclerc in the long term over the year.” He also suggested the gap has been growing in recent races, including at Miami, where Hamilton was only moved up to sixth after Leclerc was handed a 20-second penalty.

That led Schumacher to a broader conclusion on two of Formula 1’s oldest stars. He said Hamilton and Fernando Alonso “have had a wonderful time in Formula 1,” but added that “it will be time for both to vacate the cockpit at the end of the year and give young people a chance.” Schumacher’s view was blunt: “Everything has an end,” and he would rather give “the youth” an opportunity in the coming years.

He applied that directly to Ferrari by naming Bearman as the driver who should benefit. Schumacher said “Oliver Bearman deserves the chance to sit in the Ferrari” and argued the 20-year-old Ferrari Driver Academy prospect, currently racing for Haas, could also give Leclerc a proper test. Bearman, he said, could be “a challenge for Charles Leclerc” if Ferrari handed him the seat.

Schumacher acknowledged why Ferrari may be reluctant to move on from Hamilton, saying the team wants to preserve the “Lewis Hamilton brand.” But he insisted that should not outweigh the sporting case for change, arguing that plenty of talented young drivers are coming through from Formula 2 and deserve an opening.

For Ferrari, Schumacher’s argument is not really about Hamilton’s legacy. It is about whether a short-term uplift from the seven-time world champion is enough, or whether the team should already be planning for a future built around Leclerc and the next generation.