Rumours swirl that Ferrari are eyeing standout 24-year-old talent to replace Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton made headlines after the Hungarian Grand Prix when he suggested Ferrari “need to change driver,” following a tough weekend where he qualified P12 and called himself “useless.” However, with a contract running through 2026, he is expected to stay put for now.

Despite that, Ferrari are beginning to consider what comes next. Fabio Marchi from Mundo Deportivo reported a rumour around Monza during the Italian GP that the Italian team have their eyes on McLaren’s Oscar Piastri as a future option.

“What is clear is that when Hamilton leaves, I was talking to an Italian journalist and he didn’t hesitate to say, ‘Well, I’ve already heard things that Ferrari are attentive to Piastri’.

“What I mean is if Piastri gets angry within the team, he will not hesitate to go to another big team. So, I think McLaren also have to know how to manage the egos of their two drivers, which they are managing for now but with great care,” the journalist said on Cortito y al Pie.

Piastri would be an expensive addition for Ferrari

Piastri signed a new deal with McLaren before the start of the 2025 season worth £19m per year until 2028. The move came as McLaren looked to fend off interest from Red Bull.

The young Australian has continued building on his reputation since then and would be an attractive option if tensions within McLaren were ever to push him towards leaving Woking.

Headlines at Monza were recently dominated by McLaren’s controversial team orders during the Italian GP, where Piastri was told to yield P2 to Lando Norris.

For example, Bernie Ecclestone believes McLaren favours Norris to win the 2025 F1 title over the current points leader Piastri.

This kind of news could add fuel to speculation over Piastri’s potential departure and alter the currently unlikely prospect of his move to Ferrari. McLaren should therefore be cautious in how they handle the remainder of the season.