International media praises Verstappen, 'naive' Norris leaves the door open
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Following the United States Grand Prix, Ferrari's one-two finish was overshadowed by the battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. Even as there is debate in the paddock about how fair was the Dutchman's move, in the media, the Dutchman is not criticised for doing what he needed to do at the Circuit of the Americas. Here is how international media reacted to the happenings on Sunday.
Daily Mail - UK
Lando Norris 'blinks again', the Daily Mail write about the crucial overtake Verstappen could complete on Lap 1. "What you can’t do is offer a title rival like Max Verstappen the freedom of Texas and expect to beat him to the most fiercely contested prize in motor racing. That is what Lando Norris did in the US Grand Prix," the newspaper is critical of McLaren's number one driver.
"Verstappen needs no second invitation. He is adept at threading his rampaging Red Bull through the eye of a needle with sledgehammer force, let alone blast down a hole he should never have been afforded."
Bild - Germany
'Overtaking quarrel between Verstappen and Norris' Bild's headline reads. The Germans write about the drama, but also the great spectacle between the two championship contenders in the United States.
The ratings given by the newspaper's website indicates that Verstappen was spot on in terms of what he needed to do a day before. The Dutchman received the second-best mark behind only the winner, Charles Leclerc.
"The world champion did not even try to win. His only opponent was Lando Norris, he could easily give away Ferrari's 1-2. Smart. When things got really exciting, he made no mistake and didn't let Norris pass."
On the other hand, Norris got a lesser grade. "From P1 to P4 after four corners is not good. He was beaten by Verstappen at the start and should have closed the inside more. Later on fresh tyres he had a good comeback, but should have given the spot back to Max immediately after his opportunistic overtaking."
De Telegraph - Netherlands
De Telegraph begin with the title: "Max Verstappen third in Austin after blood-curdling battle with penalised Lando Norris." The Dutch newspaper believes there is still plenty left to do at Red Bull Racing, given how much Verstappen had a more difficult time on Sunday compared to the Sprint a day before. Still, Verstappen could show the world again his best skills on the biggest stage.
"Verstappen knows how to walk on ropes when it comes to driving for a world championship and realised beforehand that he might be able to strike a blow right after the start. He overtook Norris, who started from pole position, with a daring move on the inside, from which both Ferrari drivers also benefited. With his (Norris') complaining about Verstappen's manoeuvre, the race organisers were unimpressed, as no penalty was handed out."
La Gazzetta dello Sport - Italy
In Italy, of course more attention turns to Ferrari, and there is less on Verstappen and Norris. The Milan-based newspaper called the Scuderia's result a 'crazy' one-tow finish, and praised Charles Leclerc for his driving, and the team for the undercut with Sainz on the Dutchman that promoted him to P2 without having to overtake the Red Bull on track.
"And then the Ferrari prince passed them both," they write, referring to the maneouvre Leclerc completed into Turn 1 the start. Norris, who went from P1 to P4 after the first corner, is described as naive in yesterday's battle against his rival Verstappen.
This article was written in collaboration with Tim Kraaij
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