International media left disappointed by lack of 'clash' between Russell and Verstappen despite SC incident

Marca expected more spectacle between Verstappen and Russell, the Spanish outlet stated: "A clash was expected in the first corner, but as almost always, it was a somewhat disappointing afternoon (in the best sense of the word). The Brit took action so quickly that Max Verstappen could only watch him from a distance. He tried in the first ten laps but to no avail."

Furthermore, Marca sees a war brewing between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri: "The declaration of war came from Lando Norris. He showed progress in Canada and remained close behind a somewhat weak Piastri in the second half of the race. The Brit went all out at the Australian. Until everything exploded in lap 67.

"Norris risked everything in the last part of the race and tried to overtake in the first corner, but it was clearly his fault. He stayed close to Piastri, tried to find space on the outside, but the grass left him no other choice. He collided with the rear of the Australian's car and his MCL-39 was wrecked. He had to withdraw from the race, earned no points in the championship, and the war has truly begun."

The Italian La Gazzetta dello Sport saw a 'magnificent victory' for Russell. The Italian outlet stated: "The Englishman had a fantastic weekend in the best possible way, taking also pole position. The second place went to Max Verstappen, who regained some points on the McLarens in the championship.

"However, the four-time world champion risks a penalty, after he let the nose of his RB21 pass Russell's during the last lap[s], under the safety car." So, the Italian sports newspaper assumed that Verstappen could possibly be the one penalized by the stewards' decision after the race. This ultimately was not the case, as both went unpunished.

The incident between Piastri and Norris also did not go unnoticed by La Gazzetta dello Sport: "Fourth place for Oscar Piastri, the protagonist in a beautiful duel with his teammate Lando Norris a few laps from the end. The Englishman ended up in the wall after a collision between the two on the straight: a misjudgment by the British driver, who immediately apologised to the team."

The German Bild primarily talked about the extremely long wait for the final result in Canada: "Five hours and 20 minutes, to be exact. But then it was clear: Russell retained his victory!"

The German outlet also wrote about the crash between Norris and Piastri: "Bizarre frustrations for the top team. Since the start of the season, Zak Brown has been asked several times whether there is a hierarchy within McLaren. The American simply wanted his drivers to race without intervening. They fight for the title on the track."