Oscar Piastri‘s win at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix wowed the global media. Some even say he might outshine Lando Norris in the future.
In the UK, Lando Norris got a lot of love for his race at Baku City Circuit, where he managed to overtake and close the gap to Max Verstappen in the championship.
La Gazzetta dello Sport
Italian newspaper La Gazzetta praised Piastri’s “phenomenal” performance. They said, “The Australian McLaren driver attacked and defended like an experienced champion.” They also noted that Norris had a solid race, helping McLaren earn important points. The paper gave a shoutout to Leclerc for his consistent weekend and applauded Colapinto and Bearman for scoring points in their debut races with different cars. Ferrari also got a nod for delivering a competitive car this weekend.
Marca
Spanish paper Marca was equally impressed by Piastri’s victory. They wrote, “Piastri continues his meteoric rise and books his second F1 win of the year with a brilliant victory.” They believe he could be a bigger star than Norris or Russell, although he’s still 91 points behind Verstappen in the world championship. Fans might think this isn’t his year yet but maybe 2025 will be his time to shine. Marca concluded that what Piastri did in Baku was historic.
Corriere della Sera
Italy’s Corriere della Sera described Verstappen’s current struggles as a kind of “Lent”. They pointed out that his last major success was in Barcelona, while his last victory was just a sprint race in Austria. The paper wondered if someone had hidden Verstappen’s Superman suit since he was overtaken by both George Russell and Norris. They suggested that either Red Bull needs to change its trend or maybe Verstappen himself needs to adapt because even champions need strong cars.
The Guardian
British newspaper The Guardian focused on Lando Norris’s performance. Starting from fifteenth place (P15), he finished fourth, ahead of Max Verstappen. They called it a pivotal moment for McLaren, noting how against all odds, Norris kept his title hopes alive with an exceptional comeback. The Guardian mentioned that Norris reduced his gap to Verstappen to 59 points and praised him for helping hold up Perez during the race. They found it ironic that Norris assisted Piastri after team orders discussions favored Norris earlier in the week.
The Guardian also highlighted Red Bull’s struggles, saying Verstappen’s complaints about his car were all too familiar. Despite having a cushion in the title fight, they noted that Red Bull is not doing well overall.
L’Equipe
French paper L’Equipe talked about the unpredictability of this F1 season. They joked, “Want to feel stupid? Then try to predict what will happen in Formula 1 this year.” Even drivers and team bosses can’t foresee what will happen next as events often contradict predictions within just a few laps.
They highlighted how unpredictable Baku was: Oscar Piastri winning while Max Verstappen lost to Lando Norris who started ten places behind him; Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez crashing; and Charles Leclerc feeling frustrated. All these events confirmed that this season is becoming totally unpredictable .
What do you think about all these twists and turns?
