F1

LEWIS HAMILTON reignites his rivalry with Max Verstappen for real today as the F1 season kicks off in Bahrain.And the Brit has promised to be “more aggressive” this year after being roughed up by the Dutchman, who won the title in controversial circumstances.
Lewis Hamilton has promised to be more aggressive this seasonCredit: Splash
Max Verstappen pipped the Brit to the F1 title last seasonCredit: Reuters
The two came to blows spectacularly at Silverstone and Monza while they also had a near miss in Sao Paulo and clashed in Jeddah.
But it was the final race that caused the biggest uproar when Michael Masi, the former FIA race director, failed to follow safety car rules to allow Verstappen to pass Hamilton on the final lap to win the race and the title.
Hamilton spent the off season licking his wounds and has promised to come out swinging as he looks to win a record eighth world title.
He said: “I will be a more aggressive driver this year, you’ll see.”
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Masi has since been axed from his role following an FIA investigation – which blamed the controversial season finale on “human error” – which but Hamilton says he will not be distracted by the disappointing end to the last campaign.
He added: “I don’t hold any grudges. I don’t have any baggage going into the season. It is important to let go.
“All I can do is try and shape what’s ahead. I can’t change the past. I’m just approaching the season trying to be the best that I can be.
“I want to see if there’s a way I can somehow raise my game — drive at least how I was at the end of last season.
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“And just that collaboration with the team, there’s going to be lots and lots of hurdles along the way. But I love that.
“I don’t have that [revenge] viewpoint. I think I’ll just try and be the best driver I can be this year.”
However, Hamilton, who has a new teammate in fellow Brit George Russell, faces a massive headache if he is to beat Verstappen in Bahrain – in more ways than one.
Mercedes have warned that their new car for this season was not quick enough while they also struggle to get to grips with the new rules changes.
Amd that was evident in qualifying yesterday, with Britain’s knight of the round track only making fifth place on the grid today.
Their new design is causing their car to bounce up and down at top speed, making it difficult to control and extremely uncomfortable to drive.
To add to Hamilton’s concerns both Verstappen’s Red Bull and the two Ferraris look incredibly quick.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took pole with Dutch champ Verstappne just 0.1 seconds behind in second place.
Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz in in third, while the second Red Bull, driven by Sergio Perez, is in fourth.
And things were even worse for Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell, who will start in NINTH. More

LEWIS HAMILTON dazzled fans by wearing what looked like a flowery dressing gown as he showed up for qualifying in Bahrain.The 2022 Formula 1 season kicks off this weekend as Hamilton looks to put his heartbreaking defeat to Max Verstappen behind him.
Hamilton arrived in a flowery gown as he begins the 2022 seasonCredit: Splash
The Brit sent fans into a frenzy with his choice of attireCredit: Getty
Hamilton thanked his fans for sticking with him throughout his career
And the seven-time champion caught the eye before he even jumped in his car on Saturday.
Hamilton donned a long purple and orange gown which contained a flowery pattern.
He also wore some funky purple sunglasses which added to the unique look.
And some of his fans were left hailing Hamilton’s sartorial choice on race weekend.
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One person said: “The outfit screams ‘I don’t give a f**k what you think of me. I’m confident in my own skin and nothing you can say or do will change that.'”
While another added: “I love this look and Lewis is rocking it!”
A third said: “Powerful people don’t just make statements, they make an entrance.”
Meanwhile, Hamilton took to social media on Friday night after a difficult first two practice sessions in Bahrain.
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He quote retweeted a fan’s post about him being the greatest driver of all time and added his own little message.
The Brit said: “Love you guys, thanks for sticking with me #teamlh.”
Hamilton has won the Bahrain GP on five occasions – more than any other driver.
He has claimed the race in each of the last three seasons but faces an uphill task this time around due to Mercedes’ apparent lack of pace.
And he will have his work cut out after finishing fifth in qualifying. More

FORMULA ONE’s governing body have delivered their report into the controversial end to the 2021 season – but it appears to be nothing more than a whitewash.The FIA have taken a whopping 97 days to disclose their findings after former race director, Michael Masi fudged safety car rules in the Abu Dhabi GP, denying Lewis Hamilton a record eighth world title.
Verstappen pipped Hamilton to the title in controversial fashionCredit: AP
Hamilton was left gutted when he was denied an eighth world titleCredit: Getty Images – Getty
The report blamed “human error” for the cock-up but stopped short of offering a full apology or taking responsibility for the controversy.
It also FAILED to identify whether Masi had been influenced by the radio messages between himself and the Red Bull pitwall.
In fact, Masi is barely mentioned in the detailed analysis of the incidents on December 12th.
In a further damning indictment, the report stated that improvements should be made after identifying some FIA staff did not even know the rules.
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Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the race – and the title – after Masi, the race director, failed to follow safety car rules in the final few laps of the race at the Yas Marina Circuit.
Even the timing of the report – released ahead of qualifying for Sunday’s Bahrain GP – was questionable.
The summary was delivered after the World Motor Sport Council met in Bahrain and was chaired by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
It said: “The report finds that the race director was acting in good faith and to the best of his knowledge given the difficult circumstances, particularly acknowledging the significant time constraints for decisions to be made and the immense pressure being applied by the teams.”
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Race director Masi came under fire for his decisions in Abu DhabiCredit: Getty
It added: “The process of identifying lapped cars has up until now been a manual one and human error led to the fact that not all cars were allowed to un-lap themselves.”
Crucially, the report finally confirms Verstappen as the 2021 world champion, adding “the results of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the FIA Formula One World Championship are valid, final and cannot now be changed.”
Masi has since been axed from his role – some would argue a key point that is glossed over.
There is no further mention of his future involvement in the organisation but he is a notable absentee from the report, which will raise even more questions.
The report also noted that Masi “called the safety car back into the pit lane without it having completed an additional lap as required by the Formula One Sporting Regulations”.
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However, despite admitting the breach, the governing body left wiggle-room by adding that “there could be different interpretations”, which “likely contributed to the applied procedure”.
Finally, in a host of suggested improvements, the report gives the staggering admission that staff did not know the rules.
There were several controversial incidents last season, including the two-lap race at the Belgium GP, which should raise even-more concern for F1, teams and drivers.
The report said: “Additionally, the staff identified the need to improve communications between the FIA office in Geneva and track staff and between the F1 sport and F1 Technical departments.
“They also noted the complexity of the F1 Regulations and the reduction of the duration of consultancy agreements from three years to one year, often resulting in a higher staff turnover and so reduced familiarity with the rules”. More