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MAX VERSTAPPEN was less aggressive towards Charles Leclerc in Bahrain than he was in his track war with Lewis Hamilton last season, claims F1 pundit Martin Brundle.The reigning champion and the Frenchman produced a thrilling tussle in the opening race of the campaign after their first stops.
Max Verstappen appeared to be less aggressive in his Bahrain duel with Charles LeclercCredit: Getty
His battles on the track with Lewis Hamilton were much more aggressiveCredit: Rex
The pair traded the lead in the Middle East for several laps but it was Leclerc who eventually claimed the win.
However, as Brundle highlighted, the battle was in a much fairer manner compared to Verstappen and Hamilton’s over the 2021 Drivers’ Championship.
Writing In his Sky F1 column, Brundle said: “It was very interesting to observe those two slugging it out.
“Max would slice up the inside into turn one having used the slipstream, DRS rear wing open, and superior straight-line speed to remarkable effect down the pit straight, along with late braking.
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ONE.css-1gojmfd{margin-bottom:16px;}.css-gmec1d{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;height:auto;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-align-content:center;-ms-flex-line-pack:center;align-content:center;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:flex-start;justify-content:flex-start;margin-left:calc(-20px/2);margin-right:calc(-20px/2);}.css-fh9577{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-left:calc(20px/2);margin-right:calc(20px/2);}.css-65fvqt{max-width:302px;max-height:294px;}.css-h98a3b{box-sizing:border-box;overflow:hidden;background-color:rgba(236,245,247,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;position:relative;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;max-width:302px;max-height:294px;}.css-bk55po{box-sizing:border-box;display:block;position:relative;margin-bottom:0;}.css-1shocxe{box-sizing:border-box;}.css-1a2irou{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;}.css-1a2irou 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Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-bq4915:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}EXTRA GEAR .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}F1 season could be extended to 30 races with Las Vegas and Africa Grand Prix
“Charles was measuring this constantly in his mirrors, accepting the inevitable, and then intelligently ensuring he was second car past the DRS detection point, meaning he could get the rear wing open on the way up to turn four and regain the lead.
“Verstappen’s defence was firm but very fair, and with significantly less aggression than he dished out to Hamilton last season.
“Indeed, it was Leclerc who sliced across his nose into turn four on one occasion. It will be fascinating to see how this plays out as the championship unfolds.”
Verstappen was eventually forced to drop back in order to cool his brakes.
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The world champion then ultimately retired from the race with a few laps remaining due to an issue with his Red Bull car.
With his team-mate Sergio Perez suffering the same fate it saw Ferrari claim a 1-2 and Lewis Hamilton and George Russell bring home their Mercedes’ in third and fourth respectively.
New regulations have been put in place that allow competitors to follow more closely and to overtake without ruining tyres and losing downforce.
And the sequences involving Verstappen and Leclerc suggest F1 has succeeded in that.

🏁 F1 2022 calendar: practice times, dates and racetrack info
Brundle added: “As Ross Brawn’s engineering mind puts it ‘we only have a sample of one so far’, but it was clear from the testing and particularly racing in Bahrain that the drivers can follow each other more closely and without experiencing anywhere near as much unpredictable sliding followed by overheating of their tyres.
“The cars remain very heavily aero loaded, of considerable girth, and extremely fast, and so they’ll never trade paint and places with each other like a hoard of Minis or Formula Fords, but that’s fine so long as we can experience the attack and counter-attack we witnessed between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen over three laps on Sunday night.” More

FORMULA ONE’S season could be extended to 30 races with new Grand Prixs in Las Vegas and Africa.F1 boss Stefano Domenicali has confirmed to Sky Sports that it is a major possibility thanks to the huge interest in the sport.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen could soon be going full throttle in Las Vegas and AfricaCredit: Getty
This season is a record 23-race calendar, but rumours are mounting that Vegas could join next term to add a third race to the USA.
And Domenicalli has revealed that Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and F1’s other stars could soon be flying around a track in Africa also.
Sin City last hosted an F1 Grand Prix in 1984 with South Africa staging last staging a race in 1993.
The sport’s CEO and president said: “We need to be balanced, we need to see what are the other opportunities.
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“And very soon we are going to tell everyone what is our strategy to develop that market.
“On top of America, on top of China, I think there is a potential also to be in Africa soon.
“There is a lot of interest there. For sure that’s another area that so far is missing in the geography of our calendar.”
The current deal between F1 and Concorde Agreement allows 24 races per season and runs until 2025.
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But Domenicali added: “I think there is potential to go to 24.
“I would say there is potential to go to 30! In terms of the interest we see all around the world.
“It is up to us to try to find the right balance considering what are the venues which would like to be in F1, what are the historical values we need to see on the calendar.
“There are some promoters who have expiring agreements, and probably some of the current Grand Prixs will no longer be part of the calendar.”

🏁 F1 2022 calendar: practice times, dates and racetrack info More

CHARLES LECLERC has firmly established his Formula 1 World Championship credentials.The 24-year-old racing driver got off to the best possible start by winning the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc celebrates winning the Bahrain Grand PrixCredit: EPA
Away from the track, Leclerc lives a glam lifestyleCredit: Instagram @charles_leclerc
Charlotte Sine is Leclerc’s stunning girlfriendCredit: Instagram @charlottesiine
Born and bred in Monaco, Leclerc lives a glam life away from the track.
On wages of £10million-a-year, he has a £1.5million yacht called Monza, which he enjoys the playboy lifestyle on with pals.
Ferrari provide him and team-mate Carlos Sainz with a private jet that costs £18,000-per-hour to privately charter.
While his glam Wag Charlotte is a model and influencer who studied architecture.

A Monacan
Born and raised in Monte Carlo, Leclerc didn’t grown up rich.
However, since 2018 his profile and pay packet has steadily risen in motorsport.
In his younger years, luxury watchmaker Richard Mille sponsored him and today Italian fashion house Giorgio Armani uses the suave Monacan as a brand ambassador.
He lives in a spacious apartment like many of his F1 rivals in the tax-haven.
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Last year, he gave fans a glimpse into his fabulous lifestyle in a video he shared on social media.
The clip shows Leclerc in his abode playing an expensive handcrafted Steinway & Sons piano – talking point of his living room.
We also get a snapshot of his kitchen – complete with a white marble countertop, sleek white cabinets and a wine fridge.
Leclerc lives life in the fast lane in MonacoCredit: Instagram @charles_leclerc
In his living room he boasts an expensive Steinway & Sons grand pianoCredit: Instagram @charles_leclerc
Giorgio Armani brand ambassador Leclerc attends the Italian designer’s show at Milan Fashion Week in 2020Credit: Rex
Set sail
As is the norm in Monte Carlo, it’s essential to sail the seas in a boat.
Luckily for Leclerc, he has his own super yacht that he regularly entertains girlfriend, Charlotte and his pals on.
Aptly called Monza, named after the Grand Prix he won in 2019, it’s a Riva DolceRiva worth £1.5million.
It measures 48-feet long and can accommodate up to four guests in two cabins.
The lower deck features a L-shaped sofa with a coffee table in the middle.
While the living area has a massive king-size bed along with a neatly-designed bathroom.
Capable of a top speed of 35 knots, it was built in 2020.
Leclerc happily shows off his prized possession on Instagram, when he has some downtime, and loves getting behind the wheel.
Leclerc and his pals like to hang out on his £1.5m yacht called MonzaCredit: Instagram / @charles_leclerc
Leclerc regularly shows off the Monza on InstagramCredit: Instagram @charles_leclerc
Flying high
Driving for Ferrari has its perks.
Leclerc joined the Italians in 2019, and has since had use of their amazing private jet.
The VistaJet, who partner the team, is fitted with beds and a number of comfy chairs.
Just a few weeks ago, Leclerc’s team-mate Sainz showed off the incredible plane as he videoed himself walking through the aircraft and posted it on social media.
He then took a selfie alongside Leclerc, poking fun at him as they awaited take off by editing the snap with the words,”Number 1 bull**** guy” above his head.
Sainz also added photos of the interior of the plane and wrote: “This is incredible! Thanks @vistajet.”
Driving for Ferrari allows Leclerc access to a private jetCredit: Instagram @charles_leclerc
Leclrec and girlfriend Charlotte live the high lifeCredit: Instagram @charles_leclerc
Girlfriend
Sharing in Leclerc’s success in Bahrain was his Wag, Charlotte Sine, 22, who comes from serious money.
Her dad Emmanuel is the director of Bains de Mer, a company that operates the Casino of Monaco.
Also born in Monaco, she studied architecture and now finds herself being an influencer.
She boasts over 420,000 followers on Instagram, and is believed to live with Leclerc in his apartment.
Leclerc is an avid gamer, who has a Twitch channel and shows what video games he’s playing online to fans
However, that once got him into hot water with his missus.
Hilariously, when she was locked out of the home, Charlotte had to subscribe to his Twitch channel because he couldn’t hear her as he was playing a racing simulator and had a headset on.
“So my girlfriend had to subscribe to my twitch channel to tell me to open the door,” he later revealed on Twitter.
Prankster
Also game for a laugh, Leclerc played a joke on his Ferrari team on the final lap of the Bahrain GP – telling his engineer his engine was broken.
As he was about to embark on what was to be the winning race lap, he hilariously radioed them with the prank just moments before crossing the line.
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Leclerc revealed: “I did a bit of a joke on the radio on the last lap, saying that there was something strange with the engine.
“It gave a heart attack to some of the engineers I’m sure, but everything was fine. So yeah, very happy that this time we brought it home.”
Leclerc will be hoping to bring it home again this weekend at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Leclerc and Sine are one of the glamour couples of F1Credit: Getty More

MICHAEL MASI was axed from his role by the FIA “to take the pressure and stress from him” according to the organisation’s new president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem.The Australian has been hung out to dry following his failure to follow safety car rules in the Abu Dhabi GP, costing Lewis Hamilton the title.
Michael Masi was sacked as FIA race director following the Abu Dhabi dramaCredit: Getty
Masi has kept a low profile since the incident but it is understood to be upset by the lack of support he received from F1’s governing body given the abuse following Max Verstappen’s controversial win.
The FIA have now fudged their report into the handling of the final few laps at the Yas Marina Circuit and Masi has been removed from the role.
When asked as to what his new position will be within the organisation, Ben Sulayem said: “To take the pressure and the stress from him, because really he went through a lot, and we are grateful for the three years that he invested with us and he put his time in.
“Now we are negotiating with him, of course, to stay in the FIA. He is an important figure to us.
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F1.css-1gojmfd{margin-bottom:16px;}.css-gmec1d{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;height:auto;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-align-content:center;-ms-flex-line-pack:center;align-content:center;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:flex-start;justify-content:flex-start;margin-left:calc(-20px/2);margin-right:calc(-20px/2);}.css-fh9577{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-left:calc(20px/2);margin-right:calc(20px/2);}.css-65fvqt{max-width:302px;max-height:294px;}.css-h98a3b{box-sizing:border-box;overflow:hidden;background-color:rgba(236,245,247,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;position:relative;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;max-width:302px;max-height:294px;}.css-bk55po{box-sizing:border-box;display:block;position:relative;margin-bottom:0;}.css-1shocxe{box-sizing:border-box;}.css-1a2irou{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;}.css-1a2irou 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“So our people are negotiating, I would say, not a job, but another place for him within the FIA.
“Now we want to move on, we have finished with the race analysis, now we have a new race in Bahrain, the beginning of the 2022 [season], with all the new cars, all the excitement.
“We should enjoy it, leave that behind us and make sure we have a good new year.”
It is evident that the FIA are desperate to move on from the debacle – although fans are still upset at the outcome of the 2021 season finale.
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The FIA has appointed two new race directors in Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas, who will be supported by Herbie Blash.
A new virtual race control room, F1’s equivalent to the video assistant referee in football, has also been set up.
Ben Sulayem added: “Formula One is such a hi-tech and dynamic sport that we cannot run race control like we used to.
“A race control director cannot be just one director. That’s the reason we brought some of our staff back like Herbie, for example, to support the race director.
“On top of that, we also have to do rotations, not just one. Because if you talk about 23 races, human fatigue is there, you’re talking about travels, so that cannot be so. This is also a solution.”
World champ Max Verstappen chatting to new FIA president Mohammed Ben SulayemCredit: Getty More