De Nederlandse kranten zijn eensgezind over het verloop van de Grand Prix van Sakhir: Max Verstappen kon niets doen aan zijn uitvalbeurt en had mogelijk kunnen winnen in Bahrein. De binnenlandse pers schrijft dat de Red Bull Racing-coureur erg voorzichtig reed en dat dat hem uiteindelijk misschien wel de das heeft omgedaan.

The Telegraph

The morning newspaper writes that the 23-year-old Dutchman was forced to watch half of the game from his hotel room: "No, Verstappen did not let himself be talked into a complex on Sunday evening after his fifth withdrawal of the season. That Pérez made the most of the mistakes of the normal. so dominant Mercedes, the Red Bull driver did not care. "

Her story continues: "It was precisely Verstappen - started from third place - who took the least risk of the three, by braking earlier and not offering himself as a sandwich filling. It is something that we do more often this season. The man who in the past was accused of being sometimes too aggressive, was often a master of collision avoidance this season. Until the penultimate race. "

The Algemeen Dagblad

The AD initially saw the Limburger get away well in Bahrain. "His start was fine, right on the butt of both Mercedes. His podium chances remained alive with an excellent departure and maybe there was even more in it. But that hope quickly faded for Max Verstappen. He had to get a clamp behind both Mercedes. hitchhiking after a mistake by Valtteri Bottas, after which he ended up between the Finn and Sergio Pérez. Not a single cloud in the air after three corners, until Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari came whizzing very enthusiastically into turn four. "

Verstappen can only swerve: "That was the only thing he could do. And so he ended up in the tire stack without hitting a single competitor.
Race 17 of 2020 and withdrawal number 5 is a fact. Another one that he couldn't do anything about himself, with Leclerc as the clear instigator of all chaos. "

De Volkskrant

It was clear that Verstappen was very disappointed with his early retirement. "Scolding over the on-board radio. A firm kick against the guardrail. Nobody had to guess at Max Verstappen's mood after his GP of Sakhir, which finished for him after just over half a minute on Sunday. Crowds in the opening phase forced him against the guardrail. Just in that one race in which he once did not have to deal with his biggest bully: the champion Lewis Hamilton infected with the corona virus.

"An hour and a half later, Verstappen's grumpiness turned out to be justified, as he had played no significant role in one of the most unpredictable races of the season. It's a lesson he learned through damage and shame, in the time when he regularly wasted World Cup points. by defending his position at all costs when there was little to gain. It was now only Verstappen's caution that cost him his race. "

Het Parool

Finally, Het Parool writes that it is now very difficult for Verstappen to finish second in the world championship. "It is the fifth time this season that Verstappen has withdrawn. Earlier he did not reach the finish at the GP of Austria, the GP of Italy, the GP of Tuscany and the GP of Emilia-Romagna. Due to the withdrawal of Verstappen, the Finn Valtteri can Bottas in the battle for second place further ahead in the World Cup position. "