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international media on grand prix belgium

International media: 'This is not how Verstappen makes friends!'

31 July 2023 at 08:24
  • Sam Godber

Not only for the teams and drivers was the finish of the Belgian Grand Prix the starting point of the summer break, the F1 newsroom can also take a break. Not before they were allowed to give their opinion on Max Verstappen and co for one last time in the international media. An overview of what the media reported after yet another win for the Red Bull Racing driver.

BBC

English broadcaster BBC, in its review of the Belgian Grand Prix, cites what everyone is seeing:"Max Verstappen is toying with Formula 1 at the moment." The website says: "The superlatives are in danger of running out. This was Verstappen's 10th win in 12 races this year and his eighth in a row. If he wins his home grand prix at Zandvoort after the summer break on 27 August, he will equal Sebastian Vettel's all-time record of nine consecutive grand prix victories. When the main point of interest in a grand prix is a debate between the winner and his race engineer about how fast he should or should not be going, you know that the opposition are in trouble."


Gazzetta dello Sport

There are still 10 Grands Prix to go, but normally Max Verstappen will be world champion again. That's how big the supremacy is. The Italian Gazzetta writes: "These are things that must also bore him. He started showing off his qualities, saying it was best to increase speed in order to make an extra pit stop. Then he started talking about the strong wind, which meant he had to hold his handlebars tightly. Poor star. And while his engineer told him not to stress his tyres so much, he was a second faster than everyone else. Who knows what he could have achieved if he did treat them correctly. The rest of F1 now has to make do with the sporadic lucky moments, the crumbs left by Verstappen and his colleagues. "


Bild

Not the win, but the bickering over the board radio between Max Verstappen and his engineer Gianpiero Lambiase was what Bild thought was the most important thing about Sunday at Spa-Francorchamps. Under the headline 'Fuss on the radio during Verstappen's win', the newspaper reiterates at length what was exchanged between the two men during the race. Bild's conclusion is: "This is not how he makes friends! At Spa, Max Verstappen (25) easily won the Belgian Grand Prix ahead of teammate Sergio Perez (32). But: Verstappen clashed with his main helper, race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, during the race. Fussed over the radio with the eighth win in a row!"


Het Laatste Nieuws

Leading Flemish newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws praised Verstappen, who received a 10 for his performance in the Ardennes. Its teammate Sergio Perez also received high marks, but - as in the race - he could not match Verstappen. HLN wrote of the Mexican: "He was once again put in his place by Verstappen. But he gets an 8 out of 10. Thickly deserved. Because he is finally getting some realism. Said afterwards: "I want to be on the podium for the rest of the season." Read: he has given up that idiotic dream of becoming world champion, as he shouted from all the rooftops after the fifth GP. Wise, Sergio."


Esto

Sergio Perez had no answer to Verstappen's speed at Spa and never had a serious chance of winning. Despite the subsequent earwashing, Esto sees mostly positives. "Don't stop making history!" writes the Mexican medium, citing that Perez is having his best season in Formula 1. "Despite constant criticism, Sergio Perez has always worked hard to build a legacy in Formula 1." This season, Perez already has 163 points after 12 races. " The Mexican's points tally could be even higher, but it should be recalled that the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix was cancelled due to flooding in northern Italy," Esto said.