Mercedes have hinted they intend to replace Hamilton with their junior driver Kimi Andrea Antonelli, despite his lack of experience - and Antonelli has gone viral on social media after some spicy F2 action in Monte Carlo.
The two Prema drivers were involved in an epic battle following their pit stops, with Bearman performing an inspired switchback overtake on his team-mate at the Grand Hotel hairpin.
Bearman may have come out on top on this occasion, but his tyres were up to temperature compared to Antonelli’s who were still cold hampering his ability to defend his position.
Both Bearman and Antonelli finished the Feature Race in P4 and P7 respectively, and demonstrated to F1 teams that they are viable option for their future line-ups.