F1 news LIVE: Sebastian Vettel out of Bahrain Grand Prix as Max Verstappen says F1 ‘does not need to heal’

LIVE – Updated at 15:22

Max Verstappen believes Formula One does not “need to heal” despite changes being made to the rules ahead of the 2022 season following the controversial end to last year’s title race.

F1 has announced new safety car rules following the chaotic finish to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the season to win the title. The sport’s governing body, the FIA has tweaked the wording of the regulations so that “all”, rather than “any”, lapped cars must un-lap themselves before the racing restarts.

Even though most readers would interpret the two in the same way, the new clarification suggests Mercedes and Hamilton were right to complain about the way his last-lap shootout with Verstappen was manufactured.

Race director Michael Masi was also removed from his post following the incident, but Verstappen says he still has trust in the sport following the controversial end to last season. He told the BBC: “The sport doesn’t need to heal, there are these dramatic moments which are part of the sport as well. F1 is a very tough world. I think Lewis can feel the pain a bit less if you already have seven [titles].”

It comes just days before the start of the new season, with the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend. Follow all the build-up to the start of the F1 season as drivers and teams arrive in Bahrain ahead of this weekend’s season-opener below.

Sebastian Vettel is out of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend after testing positive for Covid.

The Aston Martin driver will be replaced by Nico Hulkenburg for Sunday’s race, beginning with practice on Friday.

A statement from the team read: “Sebastian Vettel has tested positive for Covid-19 and will not