International media: 'Verstappen crossed the fine line of his genius'

The Daily Mail

The Daily Mail spoke of "astonishing scenes" when describing how Verstappen tried to hold off Norris in the early stages of the Grand Prix. "Max Verstappen crossed the thin white line of his genius in a chaotic, bitter and potentially dangerous Mexico City Grand Prix that saw his world championship lead over Lando Norris cut by his own hand. And, suddenly, the title fight is alive and kicking," the newspaper said.

De Telegraaf

Even Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf understood the penalties for Verstappen but remained critical of the stewards: "Certainly there was nothing to criticise about that second penalty. At the first moment, it was striking that a similar moment later with Verstappen's teammate Sergio Pérez and Lance Stroll then again no penalty was handed out," wrote the medium, which now sees comparisons to 2021. "The denouement of his season is thus beginning to have increasing echoes of the historic year 2021, when Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) had a better car at his disposal and Verstappen pulled out all the stops to hurt the Briton in races like Brazil and Saudi Arabia. The same is happening now with another Brit, although this time Verstappen has the advantage of a substantial points advantage and Norris has much more to prove."

Het Laatste Nieuws

Belgium has noticed that three teams had the best car at some point this season. "But there are also things that never change. Like the harshness with which one Max Verstappen defends his position. A week ago he already received criticism, especially from British quarters, for going too far in his duels with Lando Norris, some felt," concluded Het Laatste Nieuws, which calculated that Verstappen is still 47 points ahead of Norris.

"If it stops being exciting for the title, then it will be looking forward to the next duel between Verstappen and Norris. Who, after Spielberg and Austin in Mexico, proved for the third time that they cannot go through the corner together in an orderly manner."

Gazzetta dello Sport

The Italian Gazzetta is above all critical of Lando Norris. "Once again he does not have an optimal start. He struggles against Verstappen, but in the end he saves himself by crowning second place after his pursuit of Leclerc," stated the pink newspaper, which is especially proud of Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz. "It takes character and a lot of determination for the fifth-last weekend as a Ferrari driver to be the best of your career. It was his best pole on Saturday, one of the best races yesterday. With an overtaking manoeuvre from days gone by, on Verstappen, someone who is not often overtaken."

This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton