Dutch newspapers after Baku GP: 'Taking some getting used to for Verstappen fans'

Max Verstappen saw Sergio Perez become the big man of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend. The reigning world champion suffered some bad luck with damage in the sprint race and an unfortunate pit stop a day later, but Perez's victory was otherwise little to be faulted, according to Dutch newspapers.

The Telegraph

The Dutch morning newspaper writes that Perez's win cannot be called undeserved. 'Takes some getting used to for the fans of Max Verstappen, who, while having some bad luck in Baku, was also beaten on value by teammate Pérez. The - still - World Championship leader will not worry too much about it. Inside, Verstappen has rock-solid confidence that he will be able to beat his Mexican teammate on most circuits'

The Mexican is very good at street circuits and we have now had two of those with Jeddah and Baku. 'If the Mexican really wants to make a serious bid for the title, he will also have to be able to hurt the Limburger at an old-school circuit like Imola later in May, for example. Whether Pérez can do that remains very much to be seen.'

Algemeen Dagblad

The AD writes that there was a little bit of luck involved in Perez's win. Verstappen lost the lead due to an ill-timed pit stop. 'But it was far from just a matter of luck that the Red Bull driver stayed ahead of his Dutch teammate,' it reads. Perez is perhaps more competitive than ever. 'It automatically fuels speculation about a real fight for the world title between the two Red Bull drivers. Because never before has there been so little to discount Pérez's victory. Always he needed more bad luck from Verstappen than this ill-timed pit stop to beat the Dutchman.'

In previous years, there was always serious doubt whether Perez would be able to take the fight to his Dutch teammate in a year's time. 'But he is showing more and more that he might be the best teammate Verstappen has ever had. Now it remains to be seen whether the Mexican can maintain this level for a whole year. And whether he can also beat the world champion in a race in which he gets absolutely no bad luck.'

NRC

The NRC headlined on Monday morning: Pérez had the race weekend of his life in Baku. The driver reduced the gap in the world championship to six points thanks to victories in the sprint race and main race. 'In doing so, Pérez dealt a small moral blow to the virtually untouchable Dutchman.'

The RB19 won four of the four GPs, meaning the Austrian formation is particularly dominant. 'For now, nobody seems capable of offering Red Bull resistance. A big change is not on the cards for another three years when the cars have to become more environmentally friendly, lighter and shorter,' it is written.

Volkskrant

The Volkskrant sees Perez as Verstappen's only challenger for the world title. 'After Pérez's win on Sunday in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Mexican is confident of that. This season, the Mexican is even more daring to claim he has as much chance of winning the title as Verstappen. After all, he reasons, they have the same race car, also the best car of all.'

And further: 'Pérez is also somewhat encouraged by the Formula 1 world to express his ambitions loud and clear, as there is a great need for excitement due to Red Bull's dominance. The autocratic reigns of first Schumacher and then Hamilton, both record holders with seven world titles, had a negative impact on interest in Formula 1.'