International media saw Verstappen 'remove Piastri from the race'

Corriere della Sera

Corriere della Sera looks back on the past Formula 1 season after the last Grand Prix of the year. In it, there is particular praise for Max Verstappen, who secured his fourth world title in Las Vegas after a challenging year. "His strength, both in driving and character, emerged at times when things were a mess in a team used to winning with ease. Verstappen proved that even a top driver cannot dominate without a car that meets his expectations; but at the same time, he proved that it takes a champion to make an imperfect single-seater win."

Norris missed some important opportunities, according to Corriere. "He had the right weapon - the MCL38 - to knock Verstappen off the throne, but he used it poorly too often. He does not lack talent, but the mental resilience is still insufficient. He has become the king of missed opportunities - even if he is the viceroy of SuperMax."

The Guardian

The Guardian reflects not only on McLaren's first constructors' title in 26 years, but also on Lewis Hamilton's farewell at Mercedes. "The emotional import of the moment was writ large at McLaren but no less for a visibly moved Hamilton, who finished his career at Mercedes with an exceptional comeback drive from 16th to fourth, bowing out with the same determined panache that has secured him unprecedented success with the team," writes the British newspaper.

The papaya-clad personnel bounced and sang, quaffing champagne with abandon in the garage, gripped by a collective ecstasy they have not had a chance to enjoy since Hamilton won the drivers’ championship for them in 2008, the last title silverware they collected. In Abu Dhabi it fell to Norris to stand up when it mattered after what was a tense finale where he had to do the job to beat rivals Ferrari on his own from pole after Piastri was all but removed from the fight on the first lap, hit by Max Verstappen.

La Gazzetta dello Sport

Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport also pays attention to Ferrari, which just missed out on the constructors' title despite a perfect race by both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, who started from P19: "For the Scuderia, the chase, which was already difficult due to the 21 points to be made up during the race and even more complicated by Charles Leclerc's grid penalty, became even more difficult. Passion, however, was not enough. The brave comeback of Leclerc, who spiritedly conquered a podium that was unthinkable on the eve of the race, and the solid performance of Sainz were not enough: Norris drove a race like an impeccable front-runner, never hampered in his actions, and gave McLaren a deserved laurel wreath."

This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy

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