F1 News
International media sees Verstappen's championship record ended by Norris
- Estéban den Toom
Max Verstappen came close to Lando Norris at the end of the Australian Grand Prix, but it was not enough to clinch victory. The Red Bull team was happy with the result, as throughout the weekend, it did not really look like the Austrian team would score that many points. This is how the international media wrote about the chaotic Australian Grand Prix.
The Sun
'Land of his own', writes Britain's The Sun about the McLaren driver trying to challenge Verstappen for the world title again this season. "Norris wins chaotic opening race as Hamilton suffers Ferrari disaster," the newspaper started by saying, then going on to write about the race in the rain. "Lando Norris took the chequered flag ahead of Max Verstappen after going off the track in a thrilling season opener, but Ferrari suffered a strategy disaster to leave Hamilton down in P10," it continued.
The Daily Mail
"Lando Norris wins the Australian Grand Prix as rain bomb wreaks havoc on the opening F1 race of the season with SIX drivers crashing out," headlined The Daily Mail. The newspaper did see Verstappen optimising his performance around the Albert Park circuit: "Verstappen wrung everything out of his Red Bull. His new team-mate Liam Lawson acted as his witness by featuring way down the field until he concluded his race in the barriers. But the McLaren was in a class of one," the English paper wrote.
BILD
German BILD focused mainly on Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton. "Incredible crash chaos at Hamilton's Ferrari debut," the newspaper wrote. The medium also addressed the battle at the front of the field between Norris and Verstappen. "Two laps before the end, Verstappen was suddenly very close behind Norris. What a race! What a final! Norris stayed ahead of Verstappen and wins the Australian Grand Prix."
Marca
Marca wrote after the race: "McLaren cyclone is covered by rain and chaos. Norris survives everything and Max comes second." The Spanish medium saw that there was one man who could challenge the McLarens. "Only Max tried to trouble them for 10 laps, but had to give in after his car warned him he could not keep up with the Papaya's pace."
L'Équipe
France's L'Équipe headlines "Norris wins in chaos" about the race at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne. "After a rain-disrupted race, Lando Norris won the first Grand Prix of the season ahead of Max Verstappen," the leading French sports medium wrote. The rain threw a spanner in the works for quite a few drivers. A total of six drivers slid off the track during the first race of the Formula 1 season.
Sky Sports
Sky Sports saw how Verstappen lost his huge win streak. "After a third safety car in the race, Verstappen ended up on Norris' tail in the closing laps, but he could not pass the Briton. In doing so, he ended his Dutch rival's 63-race lead in the drivers' championship, which dates back to mid-2022."
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy