Lewis Hamilton has sent a message to the Formula 1 driver tipped to replace him at Ferrari following his disappointing Mexican Grand Prix.
Hamilton's struggles at Ferrari continued in Mexico City, with the Briton finishing eighth - nearly a minute behind race winner Lando Norris.
His race began positively, holding onto third place during a hectic opening lap following an impressive qualifying performance.
However, Hamilton's race began to unravel on lap six, when he found himself battling his old rival Max Verstappen.
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The pair went wheel to wheel through the first two corners, even making contact, before Verstappen cut turn three to move into second place.
Hamilton tried to fight back into turn four, but locked up and cut the corner - re-joining the track ahead of the Dutchman.
He received a 10-second time penalty for the incident, with stewards concluding that he should have returned the position.
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After the race, the Briton said 'it was kind of nuts' that he was the only one penalised for corner cutting.
While Hamilton endured a difficult race, the standout drive of the weekend came from Oliver Bearman in the Haas.
Having qualified ninth, the young Briton drove superbly to come home in fourth, which is the best result of his career.
Hamilton took to Instagram to offer his congratulations, commenting on the Haas F1 team's Instagram post after the race.
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"Mega drive today Ollie, really happy for you," he said.
This season is Bearman's first full-time campaign in Formula 1, although he has been part of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy since November 2021.
Last year, when asked about the possibility of driving for Ferrari in the future, Bearman replied: “I hope so.
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“I mean, that would be the dream, right?
“It’s not really in my hands. I feel like but all I can do is perform my best, and that’s my goal. Everything that comes after that is not really within my control.
“I’m focusing on my future with Haas at the moment, and I’m really excited to get started.”
He was also asked whether he could be the man to replace Hamilton, to which he said: “It is hard not to think that, but I am not thinking about it.”
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Hamilton's current contract with Ferrari runs until at the least the end of 2026, meaning he still has at least one full season left in Formula 1.
The 40-year-old is desperate to add a record-breaking eighth title, but F1 fans may now wonder whether if he still possesses the ability to take the championship.
Topics: Ferrari, Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton, Motorsport, Max Verstappen
James Taylor