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Rose water shower after the drama on the racetrack: Max Verstappen is Formula 1 world champion for the first time
Photo: Kamran Jebreili / dpa
Max Verstappen won the Formula 1 title for the first time and dethroned world champion Lewis Hamilton.
The 24-year-old Dutchman won the Red Bull World Cup on Sunday with a dramatic win at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
The international press writes:
GREAT BRITAIN
»Daily Mail«:
»It was announced as the biggest Formula 1 highlight.
Formula 1 gave the world what it wanted.
But in doing so, the sport seemed to reverse the concept of fairness, justice and equal opportunities.
He turned the rule book a little and decided the title in terms of the promised drama and spectacle. "
"The Sun":
"The safety car seems to have pulled the carpet from under Hamilton's feet and is sure to become the greatest controversy in Formula 1 history."
"The Guardian":
"Max Verstappen celebrated his first win of a Formula 1 world championship with a win at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but only after a huge controversy that still makes his title a little doubtful."
ITALY
"La Gazzetta dello Sport":
"Verstappen-Hamilton, the last round is like a heart attack!"
»Corriere dello Sport«:
»Verstappen crazy with joy.
The Dutchman exploded after winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. "
»La Repubblica«:
»Verstappen world champion after an unbelievable final.
Overtaken Hamilton on the last lap.
The appearance of the safety car five laps before the end changes everything. "
SPAIN
»Marca«:
»World Champion Verstappen overturns the Hamilton myth.
In a uniquely grandiose finale, Max Lewis bites the dust, which remains without the record over Schumacher. "
»El Mundo Deportivo«:
»Verstappen, world champion in the last round!
Hamilton had the title within reach, but a safety car five laps to go changed everything. "
FRANCE
“L'Équipe”:
“Hamilton's wing clipped.
After 2016 against Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton lost another final, this time against Max Verstappen.
Proof that Britain is neither unbeatable nor infallible. "
AUSTRIA
»Kronen Zeitung«:
»Historically!
Verstappen ends the Hamilton era.
Seldom has a Formula 1 driver demonstrated his talent so impressively at a very young age as Max Verstappen. "
SWITZERLAND
»Blick«:
»The question sounds provocative: Is Max Verstappen a deserved Formula 1 world champion?
Yes, if you take the whole season into account. "
ABU DHABI
»The National«:
»Such a dramatic and chaotic season could not end peacefully.
In a bitter battle over nine months, 22 races and four continents, the last lap came to the fore.
A world championship that was not accomplished on the track, but in front of the race stewards and lawyers. "
hba / dpa
