Max Verstappen lifts the United States GP winning trophy as Lando Norris looks on - Photo: RacePictures

British media blown away by Verstappen after statement victory

09:27, 20 Oct

Updated: 09:55, 20 Oct

byBen Winship

Max Verstappen secured a statement victory at the United States GP, with Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc rounding out the top three after a tense duel. Here is how the British media reacted.

BBC

For the first time this season Verstappen has said ‘the chance is there’ to win the world championship.

With the gap down to just 40 points, what was once a fantasy now appears a genuine possibility.

The BBC said: “Even when Verstappen started winning races in September, the points gap to the McLaren drivers was so big that the four-time champion refused to entertain the idea in public, even if he might have been thinking about it in private. He was taking it race by race, he said, and not thinking about the championship.

They continued: "After a race weekend in which Verstappen took pole and victory in both the sprint and grand prix itself, he could have said it again. He might even have been expected to. But the belief in him now was almost palpable."

The Guardian

The feeling around Red Bull Racing appears more positive as a whole. The mid-season dismissal of Christian Horner and struggles with the RB21 now seem far behind them.

The Guardian said: “The disillusioned and dissatisfied driver who felt his title defence was long over has, against all the odds and indeed his own expectations, restaked his claim as a genuine contender in a deliciously tight Formula One world championship battle. Little wonder there were smiles, Verstappen knows he is back in the fight."

Max Verstappen_USA_Red Bull_RacePictures_Jpeg

Max Verstappen after his victory in Austin - Photo: RacePictures

Daily Mail

Verstappen led from the very first corner of the race to the very last. A textbook race start emphasised the Dutchman’s experience according to the Daily Mail.

“It [turn 1] is where the two McLarens of Norris and Piastri collided on Saturday in a sprint race that again betrayed the nerves afflicting them. Front-running in the championship is not easy and neither man, aged 24 and 25 respectively, has experienced the hard-earned privilege before.

“That corner is also where, a year ago, Norris afforded Verstappen the freedom of the Lone Star State and was passed. The exchange was an emblem of the fact one of them was as tough as teak in wheel-to-wheel action, the other a touch more squeamish, or, to be fair, not so preternaturally aware of the geometry of close combat. At 28, he is the battle-hardened warrior.”

Sky Sports

Sky Sports highlighted how championship leader Oscar Piastri’s drop in form has added to the sense of Verstappen's inevitable rise in momentum.

“Piastri had appeared on course for a maiden title when his Dutch Grand Prix victory at the end of August took him 34 points clear of Norris, but the 24-year-old Australian has finished behind both his nearest challengers at all four races since, with uncharacteristic errors compounding a general drop-off in pace.”

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