'Verstappen can switch to Mercedes now and become champion in '25'
F1 News
- Ludo van Denderen
It seemed to be a fairytale, but ended up being a nightmare: George Russell thought he had snatched an equally unexpected and spectacular victory in the Belgian Grand Prix with a one-stop, but a few hours after the win, it was taken away from him due to a technical foul. The international media nonetheless admired Russell's performance, which ultimately saw the win go to teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Gazzetta dello Sport
Italy's Gazzetta shared Russell's sorrow: "Darn, a disqualification," wrote the pink sports newspaper, only to give the unfortunate driver support: "The fact that the car turned out to be too light does not diminish the value of his performance," was the Gazzetta's conclusion, which then also praised Hamilton. "The second victory of 2024 came about thanks to Russell's disqualification, but it is more than deserved: a rock-solid start, a great defence against Perez, and a great overtake on Leclerc as a warning for 2025."
While the Italians gave Max Verstappen an 8 for his performance with "optimal damage limitation", the sports newspaper was critical of Lando Norris and Sergio Perez. The former received a 5 for his race, Perez a 4. According to the Gazzetta, Perez's fate at Red Bull is now sealed.
Marca
Spain's Marca saw Mercedes' team excelling at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, while Red Bull Racing was ultimately out of the running. The newspaper concluded that Max Verstappen would be better off switching to Mercedes if he wants to become world champion in '25. "It has become clear that Red Bull is no longer superior even at Spa and that if he decides to leave for Toto Wolff 's team in 2025, he can absolutely win the world championship, as he is going to do this season," Marca wrote. George Russell thus saw his win taken away, and Hamilton became number one as a result; according to Marca, this is a clear sign of things to come. "This shows that the star brand is back."
Daily Mail
At Spa, the Daily Mail watched the Mercedes driver lose a well-deserved victory on a day when the newspaper had actually expected Lando Norris to be the winner. But the latter is no longer himself, the British paper reacted: "The Brit, 24, looks like a man carrying the weight of the world at the moment. Certainly far from his usual, chirpy self. One suspects the four-week break until the next race in the Netherlands will do him the world of good." Norris finished one place behind Max Verstappen, "whose rescue act ensured he extended his advantage at the top of the standings to 78 points," the medium observed.
Bild
"A weekend full of surprises" was the conclusion of Bild, which pointed out that Lewis Hamilton eventually won "in the living room of [Michael] Schumacher'. After all, the German legend grew up not far from Spa and won the Grand Prix there six times. Speaking of statistics. Bild also saw how Verstappen did not win. "Verstappen has now failed to win for the fourth time in a row. The longest dry spell since 2021," the newspaper concluded.