International press praises Verstappen: 'Putting his money where his mouth is'

The international press had praise for a strong Max Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton received less praise after a mistake while overtaking stragglers. He had some luck with the heavy crash of George Russell and Valtteri Bottas which caused a red flag.

Marca

The Spanish sports newspaper sees in Verstappen a deserved victor: "In a magnificent and epic race of more than two hours, which started in the rain in the legendary Enzo and Dino Ferrari of Imola, Max Verstappen has taken a brilliant and deserved victory at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The Dutchman was the best from the first to the last lap, beating a brilliant Hamilton, who did everything he could to come back (after an accident) and, thanks to the fastest lap and second place, managed to hold on to the lead of the World Championship."

La Gazzetta dello Sport

According to the pink sports newspaper, Hamilton was lucky that the red flag was shown, otherwise he might not have been on the podium. "Max Verstappen triumphs in the Emilia Romagna GP, the second round of the world championship. The Dutch Red Bull driver overtook the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, who made a good comeback after a mistake that threatened to end his race on lap 31. Thanks in part to an accident between George Russell and Valtteri Bottas, the world champion was able to fight back to second place."

Sky Sports

The British speak of a race full of chaos. Hamilton, for his part, would blow the chance of victory himself. "On a chaotic and dramatic afternoon in challenging mixed weather conditions, Verstappen claimed the lead at the start from third as he overtook Hamilton when the two title rivals collided at turn two."

"The Red Bull driver came under pressure from his Mercedes rival around the pitstops, but Hamilton squandered his chance of victory when he slipped into the gravel while overtaking George Russell's Williams and dropped back to ninth, briefly a lap behind."

Auto, Motor und Sport

According to AMuS, you can always expect a race like this at Imola and the weather gods lent a hand on Sunday. "Max Verstappen won the second Grand Prix of the year in Imola. In a chaotic race, Lewis Hamilton finished somewhat happily in second place. A violent accident by Valtteri Bottas and George Russell overshadowed the crime thriller in Emilia-Romagna.

"Imola is always good for a crazy race. And this year, too, fans can't complain about bad entertainment. Half an hour before the start, the drama took its course. A short but heavy rainstorm flooded half of the track and forced all the drivers onto treaded tyres at the start."

L'Equipe

The French think Verstappen won the race mainly with his action in the first corner on Hamilton. "Max Verstappen put his money where his mouth is. The Dutchman is keen to challenge Lewis Hamilton for the world title and won his first race of the season at Imola on Sunday. A victory built from the start. Third on the grid, he started better than Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez and took the lead at the first corner after a wheel-to-wheel duel, forcing the Mercedes over the kerbs. In a Red Bull that Perez struggled to control, the Dutchman did not relinquish the lead."