International media full of praise for Piastri: 'Star of the future, better than Norris'

La Gazzetta dello Sport

The Italian Gazzetta called Piastri's performance "phenomenal". "The Australian McLaren driver attacked and defended like an experienced champion. Norris drove a good catch-up race and took important points for McLaren. A consistent weekend for Leclerc. Compliments to Colapinto and Bearman, who scored points in the first two races of their careers with different cars," writes the newspaper. They also praised Ferrari, who delivered another competitive car this weekend.

Marca

Marca also praised the McLaren driver's impressive victory. "Piastri continues his meteoric rise and books his second F1 win of the year with a brilliant victory," writes the Spanish newspaper. "It can now be said that we are looking at a big star of the future, perhaps even better than Norris, Russell and others of his generation. He is still 91 points behind Verstappen in the world championship and maybe this will not be his year yet, but 2025. What he did in Baku was historic," they conclude.

Corriere della Sera

Italy's Corriere della Sera speaks of a kind of "Lent" for Verstappen. "His last success was in Barcelona, while his last victory was the sprint race in Austria. Overtaken by both George Russell and Norris, Max can no longer find his Superman suit: who hid it from him? Either Red Bull are changing the trend, or maybe he is changing himself: in F1, the assumption remains that even a champion cannot do without a strong car," the newspaper said.

The Guardian

British newspaper The Guardian highlights the performance of Lando Norris, who managed to get to the front from a fifteenth P15 and crossed the finish line in fourth place - ahead of his rival Max Verstappen. "It was a race that might be considered by McLaren as a pivotal moment when, against the odds and beyond all expectations, Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris also managed to keep his title hopes alive with an exceptional comeback," the newspaper praises the Briton's performance.

The news site says that the title is "still within reach" for Norris, who has reduced his gap to Verstappen to 59 points. The Briton is also praised for his teamwork in holding up Perez. "That Piastri was in position to take the lead was owed in part at least to his teammate Norris. The irony of Norris assisting Piastri after a week in which McLaren had been discussing team orders in Norris’s favour was impossible to ignore yet Norris’s performance was the accompanying solo piece that made the race special."

"The significance of these strengths will not be lost on Red Bull, who remain flailing. Verstappen’s woes, a litany of complaints about the handling, balance and grip of his car to his team were all too familiar and while he may enjoy a cushion in the title fight his team do not," concluded The Guardian.

L'Equipe

The French paper also pointed to the great unpredictability of the current F1 season. "Want to feel stupid? Then try to predict what will happen in Formula 1 this year. Not even who will be champion, but what will happen during a Grand Prix in the next few minutes. Even the biggest stakeholders - drivers and team bosses - are unable to do this, as the facts contradict the vast majority of predictions within just a few laps," they wrote.

"The amazing scenario of Baku (with Oscar Piastri being the exception) - Max Verstappen being defeated by Lando Norris, who started ten places behind him on the grid, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez ending up in the wall together and a frustrated Charles Leclerc - all this confirmed that this season is becoming totally unpredictable."

This article was written in collaboration with Nicole Mulder

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