International media: 'Verstappen rightly among the greatest ever'

With his 16th victory of the season, Max Verstappen set his own record of most Grand Prix wins in a single season. The International media - by no means for the first time - were full of praise for the three-time champion, while his teammate Sergio Perez mostly evoked sympathy. An overview of the international media coverage.

BBC

Verstappen started the Mexican Grand Prix from the third starting spot, and he saw his lead disappear completely after the red flag. He seemed unimpressed by it all; winning the Dutchman did anyway. The BBC could not help but conclude that "Verstappen untouchable, whatever the challenge". The British broadcaster was full of admiration: "Red Bull's Max Verstappen took a dominant victory in the Mexico City Grand Prix to break his own record for wins in a single Formula 1 season. Set up by passing the front-row Ferraris at the start, Verstappen's victory was his 16th in 2023 in what is becoming one of the most dominant seasons in history."

Gazzetta dello Sport

The authoritative Gazzetta gave Verstappen a 9.5 for his performance in Mexico. The pink newspaper also noted that the Dutchman now ranks alongside Alain Prost, with 51 victories in Formula 1. "Professor's record. Max Verstappen winning the Mexican GP raises the bar: triumph number 16 of the season, improving his 2022 record of wins in a single year, it takes him to 51, equal to Alain Prost. In front only Sebastian Vettel (53), Michael Schumacher (91) and Lewis Hamilton (103), the greats of F1: a category to which Red Bull's Dutchman rightfully belongs. "

Het Laatste Nieuws

Het Laatste Nieuws, Belgium's leading newspaper, also saw Verstappen triumph. "The world champion proved his statement from a day earlier. Asked whether he preferred to start from spot three or pole position in Mexico, his answer was clear. "Pole position," he said. With it, he claimed to know what he needed to do to hold the lead position from that spot. And so he did."

HLN also felt sorry for Mexican fans, who saw their favourite Sergio Perez drop out on the first lap after a collision with Charles Leclerc. "His fifth place in qualifying was nowhere near his worst result in recent months and his first metres in the race were promising. It only added to the disappointment. For him as well as for the Mexican fans. The way Pérez slapped his steering wheel when it became clear he had to abandon the race and the orphaned look in his eyes that followed said it all."

l'Equipe

In France, the conclusion was that Verstappen was "in record mode". "Max Verstappen delivered another top performance at the wheel of his Red Bull at the Mexican Grand Prix. In this season he is hugely dominating, the three-time world champion achieved a 16th success in 2023 this Sunday." The newspaper continued, "Above all, he equalled four-time French world champion Alain Prost, with a 51st career success, which is not insignificant as only three drivers in history have done better."

Bild

A picture of Max Verstappen with a big sombrero on his head was captioned by Bild: 'Verstappen now as good as Prost'. The German newspaper then concluded, "Verstappen is and remains the man of records", after which Bild cited that Sebastian Vettel (with 53 wins) is now the next to be overtaken by the Dutchman.

Teammate Sergio Perez failed to cross the finish line in his home race of all time. Bild quotes Helmut Marko as saying that Perezis"tremendously down in the dumps". For Bild, therefore, there is only one conclusion possible: "Joy and sorrow at Red Bull..."