Hamilton keeping wary eye on Verstappen

– Lewis Hamilton boldly christened himself “brave warrior” after winning the Chinese Grand Prix, but the three-time world champion will have more than just title rival Sebastian Vettel to contend with this week in Bahrain.

As Hamilton celebrated a third Shanghai victory in four years, he unveiled a new tattoo on the left side of his ribcage bearing the Chinese characters “Brave Warrior” and “Love”.

But the Briton’s thunder had already been stolen by a jaw-dropping drive from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (right), who finished third behind Ferrari’s Vettel after starting near the back of the grid.

The 19-year-old Dutchman began in 16th after an engine misfire in qualifying and tore past nine cars on the first lap alone, suggesting fears that the sport’s new rules had made overtaking harder were premature.

Both Hamilton and Vettel, who himself produced two breath-taking passes, will be casting nervous looks in their rear-view mirrors.

“He is right up there with all the best drivers,” said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, who noted that Verstappen’s odds of reaching the podium after qualifying stood at 33-1.

“If it had not been insider trading, I’d have had a flutter. Max has a sixth sense in the wet. He is fearless. He explores all the boundaries of the track to find where the grip is.”

Verstappen’s aggressive approach has quickly made him a fan favourite and he has been compared with Formula One great Ayrton Senna, particularly after a seat-of-the-pants drive in Brazil last year when he stormed to third in pouring rain.

By the same token, he has ruffled feathers since making his F1 debut two years ago at just 17 with Ferrari’s Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen both letting rip.

But an admiring Hamilton retorted: “This young dude has been a real breath of fresh air for everyone.” – AFP