International media rally behind Verstappen: 'FIA penalty is absurd'

Corriere dello Sport

"While it is true they have overhauled the RB20 at Red Bull, Max interpreted the changes as best he could and took a hugely valuable second place. However, the curse of Singapore persists, where he has never won," wrote the Italian newspaper, which gives Verstappen great credit for his protest at the FIA press conference. "He deserves high marks for his protest to the FIA - in which he gave answers of one syllable - for the absurd punishment he received."

The Guardian

There was widespread admiration among the British press for Norris' dominant win, despite two moments where he almost put his McLaren into the wall. "They were tiny moments that might yet be decisive for Norris, whose dominant victory over his world championship rival Max Verstappen was exactly the relentless grind he has to deliver if he is to take the title fight to the wire. On this form he has every chance to do just that," stated The Guardian.

Furthermore, the British newspaper saw a lacklustre race in a weekend where most of the talk was about the penalty imposed on Verstappen by the FIA. Noting that Norris, too, could just as easily have a community service penalty hanging over his head. In the cooldown room, Norris said "I actually s**t myself" while looking back at his near-crash with Verstappen and Oscar Piastri. "On the precedent set this weekend, Norris can expect at least a fine, if not possibly some community service to match Verstappen’s, in a pointless and vapid distraction to what is the most exciting season since 2021."

Marca

"Norris' victory helps his title chances, but Max's second-place finish is gold," wrote Spain's Marca. "After all, this was one of the worst circuits for his car and what's more, he still has the equivalent of a two-race lead. It is assumed there will be improvements for the Red Bull in Austin, because after this big beating, a reaction is needed. Lando made some rookie mistakes when he was comfortably in the lead. A bad sign for him."

"Everything indicates that the championship will be decided at the last race in Abu Dhabi. We might just see a repeat of 2021, with Max's amazing victory over Hamilton when everything was against him, including an inferior car. This time the mechanical superiority lies with the papaya team and not with those who have to defend."

l'Equipe

l'Equipe hoped the F1 championship would now be wide open, but instead sees one autocrat being replaced by another. "We dreamed of a different world, a world where the excitement would overwhelm us at every race. That impression was also created, as we saw one winner after another. On the night of Singapore, however, that dream came to an end, replaced by the possibility of an insane final. But on the condition that the unrelenting dominance of Max Verstappen is replaced by the terrible dictatorship of Lando Norris. Another master to supplant the old one," wrote the French medium.

This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton