International press: 'Even without mistakes Ferrari can't beat Verstappen'

Max Verstappen has won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza for the first time. According to the international media, the Dutchman is already the champion of 2022. Even if Ferrari makes no mistakes, Verstappen seems to be unable to drop down.

Gazzetta dello Sport - Italy

The Italian newspaper writes about the race on home soil that Verstappen also conquered Monza, while Ferrari fought with honour this time. Indeed, Charles Leclerc finished second and Carlos Sainz grabbed P4 with a stunning comeback.

"The most ferocious eyes of the tiger were, once again, those of Max Verstappen. Opposite Sylvester Stallone, the Dutch Rocky Balboa version also struck at Monza, giving Charles Leclerc's Ferrari no chance despite Saturday's fine pole position. There was nothing to challenge this unstoppable champion, who after winning from tenth place in Budapest and from fourteenth in Spa, added another jewel to his collection; the triumph in Italy from seventh on the grid. And if third time's the charm, then compliments can go to the superior Verstappen-Red Bull duo. They are moving ever closer to a well-deserved second world title."

Marca - Spain

It was also an interesting race for the Spanish with the overtaking race undertaken by Spain's Sainz. Marca headlines with: "Verstappen also destroys Monza and Sainz comes back." The news medium sums up the race as follows: "A victory for the Dutchman, who is already virtual champion after beating Leclerc. Leclerc was again hampered by his team in the pit lane. Carlos was great with a 'comeback' to P4."

That Verstappen will take his second championship in 2022 seems undeniable according to the Spanish newspaper: "Verstappen stopped (during the safety car) and so did Leclerc because he had a free stop. George Russell and Sainz followed; they were all on the soft tyre. In the end, the race was already over, as the reigning champion finished behind the safety car, while he can already consider himself a two-time champion."

The Guardian - United Kingdom

The Guardian 's Brits also stress that it's over and done with Ferrari. "Verstappen leaves Ferraris in his wake at Italian GP to put F1 title in sight." Ferrari remarkably made almost no strategic errors, according to the British newspaper, but were still defeated. This is anything but good news for the Italian racing team.

"These are painful days indeed for Ferrari and perhaps none with a more punishing finality than realisation as the sun set over Monza that the Scuderia has been well and truly beaten this season. The Italian Grand Prix was another masterclass of a win from Max Verstappen, who definitively put one hand on his second title at Monza but would have been infinitely more difficult for the Scuderia to deal with because they were beaten for once without really doing anything wrong. A statement which in itself should make decidedly uncomfortable reading for any team."

L'Equipe - France

French L'Equipe writes the same as The Guardian and also thinks that Ferrari have lost all chance of the title after the display at Monza. "Max Verstappen is 'the killer' under delay". The Dutchman may have won the race under the safety car, but coolly forced the win during the race. "He was more impressive behind the wheel of the Red Bull than usual. Verstappen crushed the race with his talent."

"The man with pole position, Charles Leclerc, finished second without detecting a mistake from his team or making one himself. The world champion is definitely too strong." According to the French newspaper, Ferrari was spared a major humiliation in front of its home crowd: "At the very least, the agony did not last very long for Ferrari. That's the advantage of Monza; everything goes very fast there."

Bild - Germany

"He's just unstoppable!" Bild talks about Verstappen taking his fifth win in a row. The German medium is full of praise for the Red Bull Racing driver: "Verstappen wins the Italian Grand Prix, even though he didn't go full throttle during the final laps."

"The Ferrari driver [Leclerc] finished second in Ferrari's home race. A decent result for the Italians, but still a setback in morale. Both the drivers' and constructors' championships are gone. The starting situation for Ferrari and Leclerc could not have been better. While Leclerc started the race from pole position, Verstappen only started from seventh due to a grid penalty."