Max Verstappen has taken a swipe at Sebastian Vettel suggesting he is overhyped.

The Dutchman has had several run-ins with the Ferrari driver in recent years notably in Mexico in 2016 as well as China and Japan last season.

Currently, some questions are being asked about Vettel, who continues to benefit from team orders at the Scuderia despite not putting in any particularly strong performances so far in 2019.

"I've always thought that Vettel is a good driver because otherwise, you won't win four world titles," Verstappen commented to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"However, I never thought he was magical.

"That's partly because Daniel Ricciardo managed to beat him at Red Bull and now comes confirmation with [Charles] Leclerc, which also makes it very difficult for him."

Max then turned his attention to the Monegasque, who would have almost certainly taken victory in Bahrain had it not been for an engine problem causing a loss of power.

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Verstappen and Leclerc are touted by many as the next big rivalry in Formula 1 and it is one the Red Bull driver would welcome even within the same team.

"If there is ever the chance that Leclerc and I can become teammates, I will certainly accept that challenge," he stated.

"That also applies to [Lewis] Hamilton, he has already won five world titles, but I don't care."

Strong words from Verstappen, strong words indeed.