International media crown Verstappen's champion after five races

Daily Mail - Britain

The British tabloid praises Max Verstappen, who gets scored a '9'. "A near-perfect weekend for the Dutchman, who extended his advantage in the drivers standings with a convincing win at the Shanghai International Circuit.  There may be those tiring of an increasingly predictable outcome to races but Verstappen’s relentlessness should not be scoffed at. Even after only five races, you feel it is fair to say that it is going to take something extraordinary for this winning machine not to claim a fourth successive world title."

Marca - Spain

For the Spanish media, there was little to cheer about at the Chinese Grand Prix. In fact, Spanish newspaper Marca already fears for 2026: "It is easy to put your money on the fact that Verstappen and Red Bull will rule again in 2026. That could change with the new chassis and engine regulations in 2026."

La Gazzetta dello Sport & Corriere della Sera - Italy

After several good races for Ferrari, this time the team missed out on the podium. As a result, the Italian media are looking mainly at Max Verstappen. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, fans were fairly "chilled" by Max Verstappen's robotic performance. According to the pink newspaper, Verstappen is simply out of reach of the competition.

Corriere della Sera does praise Verstappen's performance: "Verstappen continues to come from another planet and this time Red Bull has found the best version of (Rubens) Barrichello." The Italian newspaper additionally makes a comparison: "A samurai in Japan and a dragon in China. Max Verstappen, the 'Shapeshifting Alien', had changed shape again."

Bild - Germany

In Germany, people have already given up hope of a battle for the world title. Germany's Bild states the following about Verstappen's powerful performance: ''Nobody can pose a challenge to the Dutchman in China. Not even in the world championship."