Charles Leclerc clinched his eighth career victory in Austin. However, the Monegasque’s heroic drive at the Circuit of the Americas was overshadowed by the battle for third place. The fight between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris reached a climax in Texas, drawing significant attention from international media.
In England, newspapers are thrilled that the title fight between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris in Austin was visible on the circuit this time. The Guardian describes the battle between the two championship leaders as “a gripping, dramatic, and controversial wheel-to-wheel fight between the two main characters,” which overshadowed Charles Leclerc’s victory.
The duel between Verstappen and Norris ended in Verstappen’s favor due to a time penalty for the McLaren driver. According to the British media, this was a “somewhat unsatisfying conclusion to what had been a well-fought and fair fight after Norris, who had lost the lead from pole position at the start of the race, made a strong comeback to bring the race to Verstappen. It was a brave attempt, but in the grand scheme of things, Verstappen emerged as the winner in the title fight.”
Their Battle Cannibalized the Spirits
The media in France also noticed how the fight between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen dominated the attention during the race. “Cameras rarely lie. If they forget who is leading a Grand Prix and who the chasers are, it’s because the emotion lies elsewhere,” writes L’Équipe. “So the Ferraris triumphed, aided by their new flexible front wing. To the tune of a solo journey. A fiery red double marked in friendly ink. The battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, settled by the FIA jury, cannibalized the spirits.”
Ferrari Created Science Fiction
In the Italian newspapers, the victory of ‘their’ Ferrari is the main focus, and the win is celebrated extensively. “In America, Ferrari created science fiction, with a fantastic one-two finish, thanks to Carlos Sainz’s second place,” begins Gazzetta dello Sport in its praise for the Scuderia. “The result came thanks to impeccable driving and masterful strategy management by the team from Maranello.”
According to the Italian sports newspaper, the battle was actually decided in the first corner. “Charles had built his race on a masterful start, as the masterful strategist and aggressive talent that he is,” says Gazzetta. “At the green light, Norris started well, as did Verstappen, but then he made a fatal mistake: he braked too early and left a big gap for Max, who did not let himself be tempted and resolutely entered corner 1.”
Ferraris a Class Apart
In the southern countries, the focus was mainly on the battle between Norris and Verstappen, because the Ferraris at the Circuit of the Americas were “a class apart”. “Yet the race image changed completely after the first corner. Norris was fooled by Verstappen, who took the inside corner, and the Brit also had the two Ferraris over him,” analyzes HLN the opening phase of the race. “Leclerc even immediately steamed ahead to the lead position. A place he would not give up for the rest of the race.”
