International press praises 'alien' Verstappen: 'Prost next on list'

The Guardian

"Max Verstappen was as serene as ever in winning the Qatar Grand Prix for Red Bull, but in his wake, an altogether more tempestuous wind engulfed Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes teammate George Russell. The pair clashed at the Lusali circuit in the most serious flashpoint between them since they became teammates in 2022. Each initially blamed the other, with Russell clearly furious because he had been an innocent party, but Hamilton later held his hands up for causing the crash which ended his race. " summed up The Guardian.

The British newspaper saw Verstappen drive unchallenged to victory after securing his third world title a day earlier. "Verstappen was in full control of victory again, displacing the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to second and third. Piastri did an excellent job of grabbing his best GP classification after also winning the sprint race on Saturday."

Marca

Spain's Marca pointed out the extreme conditions in which the Formula One drivers had to drive the Qatar Grand Prix "Max Verstappen won a dramatic Qatar GP despite the heat and effort that the ambient temperature of 40 degrees imposed on all drivers. They had to open their visors on the straights time and again to let air in," the Medium noted.

Corriere della Sera

Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera called Verstappen the "cannibal" of F1. "How else could he celebrate his third world title than by devouring them all? So said, so done: Max Verstappen did not let anyone escape, even in the horrific heat of Losail. In the end, even SuperMax was tested, but the others even more so. Superior from start to finish," writes the newspaper.

As the only driver of the full field who did not exceed the track limits for a moment, the comparison is made with alien forces and artificial intelligence. "The others made mistakes. He didn't, ever. In a lesson in AI, the 'Shape-Shifting Alien' is preparing to take the form of 'the Professor', Alain Prost (51 wins)," Corriere writes, pointing to Verstappen's 49th victory.

L'Equipe

France's L'Equipe did not see Verstappen get into trouble for a moment during the tough Qatar GP. "Max Verstappen honoured his third world title, won in Saturday's sprint race, by masterfully dominating the main race of the Qatar Grand Prix. The Dutch driver controlled the 57 laps on the Losail circuit with ease and only relinquished his leading position at his first pit stop, for just one lap. The Dutchman cleverly managed to avoid the pitfalls of the track limits and tyre restrictions imposed by the FIA, " writes the newspaper.