International media call it a 'minor miracle' after Verstappen's crash

Verstappen lost control of his Red Bull in the final corner of the opening lap. The asphalt there was still damp after earlier rain, and when the Dutchman got on the throttle, the rear stepped out. He then shot across the track and hit the barrier hard. He was able to climb out uninjured, but his final Dutch GP was over immediately.

The German BILD mainly exposes the painful contrast between what Verstappen hoped for before the race and what ultimately happened. Before the start, the Dutchman had urged his fans to make the farewell to Zandvoort a race to remember forever.

According to the German newspaper, that indeed happened—just not at all in the way Verstappen had envisioned. BILD writes that the race was ‘indeed unforgettable,’ ‘but for other reasons.’ The outlet points to the first-lap crash. In another report, BILD describes the final Dutch GP as a memorable Formula 1 race and is clear about the cause of Verstappen’s retirement: the paper calls it a driver error.

The situation of the other drivers also receives attention. Lawson was driving right behind his teammate when the Red Bull shot across the track, and several drivers had to pass the crashed Verstappen. The four-time world champion himself offered his apologies to the team almost immediately over the radio.

The Spanish AS goes even further in its coverage of Verstappen’s crash. The paper speaks of a ‘very heavy crash by Verstappen that silences Zandvoort.’ According to AS, this abruptly ended the festivities around the final Dutch Grand Prix.

AS describes how Verstappen lost control of his RB22 in the final banked corner and hit the wall at more than 200 kilometers per hour. The Red Bull was severely damaged, but Verstappen climbed out without injuries. The Spanish outlet also emphasizes that mistakes of this magnitude are rare for the four-time world champion.

AS particularly highlights the effect on the grandstands. According to the paper, the crash cooled the 105,000 supporters present during the farewell to the Dutch GP. Over the entire weekend, more than 300,000 visitors came to Zandvoort, the outlet notes. The fact that Verstappen retired after just one lap in the final edition gave the farewell a very different twist.

The British newspaper The Guardian also features Verstappen’s crash prominently in its race report. The paper writes of a high-speed crash and concludes that there was no grand farewell for the Dutch home hero during the final race at Zandvoort. According to the Brits, his Red Bull was left heavily damaged, while Verstappen himself was able to get out uninjured.

The Guardian describes how Verstappen put a wheel on the still-damp part in the final corner, after which he lost the rear. After the initial hit on the barrier, the RB22 struck the wall again. The paper also points to the safety of current Formula 1 cars, given the damage to the Red Bull and the fact that Verstappen emerged without injuries.

The Brits also devote plenty of attention to what happened after Verstappen’s early exit. Norris is praised for his performance and the way he ultimately defeated Kimi Antonelli. The Guardian speaks of a strong finale to the last Formula 1 race in Zandvoort, but for Verstappen the home race was over after the opening lap.

L’Équipe also gives major prominence to Verstappen’s crash. The French sports daily writes that his final home race was ‘short-lived’ and describes how Verstappen was caught out by the damp asphalt on the inside of the final banked corner at the end of the first lap. His Red Bull hit the opposite wall and then, with a detached wheel, shot back across the track.

It is what happened next that stands out to the French. Not a single other driver hit Verstappen’s battered Red Bull when it came back across the track. L’Équipe even calls it a ‘small miracle’ that a collision was avoided. No one was struck by the flying debris either, although Pierre Gasly, according to the paper, took a shower of carbon fiber across the nose of his Alpine. Verstappen himself also remained uninjured.