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FORMULA ONE world champion Max Verstappen took a cheeky dig at Lewis Hamilton after his Brit rival only qualified fifth for the Bahrain GP. Verstappen will start Sunday’s race on the front row after Ferrari man Charles Leclerc took pole for the first race of the season.
Verstappen aimed a veiled swipe at Hamilton with his comment after qualifyingCredit: Splash
Hamilton struggled in qualifying but still performed better than Mercedes team-mate RussellCredit: Getty
Hamilton was out-qualified by both Ferraris AND both Red Bulls, while team-mate George Russell was way down in ninth.
And after securing his position on the front row for the season opener, Verstappen was quizzed by reporters on whether he was disappointed to see Mercedes underperforming.
The Dutchman cheekily replied to the question “very, very [disappointed],” as per to Formula 1 News.
A poor qualifying for Mercedes came after Hamilton declared the team have “a lot of problems” going into the new season.
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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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.nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(71,30,121,1);}.css-1uyse24:before{content:”;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;z-index:1;}.css-xpuujo{border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(149,199,208,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-tqcu81{padding:0;border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(149,199,208,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-124tga5{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-5jzxpx{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-bq4915{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,97,108,1);text-transform:uppercase;-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-bq4915:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}BAHRAIN GP .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;}Lewis starts back in fifth as he renews rivalry with Verstappen in season opener
The 37-year-old even claimed that it would take as many as four races for Mercedes to challenge for top spot on the podium.
Qualifying for the Bahrain GP also incidentally took place on the same day that the FIA concluded Verstappen’s dramatic victory on the final day of the 2021 campaign was down to “human error”.
Fans didn’t hold back after the report was published, mercilessly trolling the Dutchman for the circumstances in which he won his maiden world title.
One sarcastically wrote: “Max Verstappen won a Championship due to ‘human error’. Congratulations.”
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Another added: “Congratulations to max verstappen for being the first ever #HumanErrorChampion.”
Meanwhile the hashtag “HumanErrorChampion” was trending on Twitter.
The drama added to the feud between Verstappen and Hamilton ahead of race day in Bahrain, although it doesn’t appear that the pair will come close on the track.
With Mercedes lacking pace all weekend Hamilton may spend more time looking over his shoulder and defending the chasing pack, rather than challenging the Ferraris and Red Bulls up the road.
Lights out at the Bahrain International Circuit is at 3pm UK time for the 2022 F1 season opener. More

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