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Good driver, defective drive: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc had to give up in Barcelona with engine damage
Photo: Manu Fernandez / dpa
World champion Max Verstappen took the lead in the Formula 1 world championship for the first time this year by winning the Spanish Grand Prix.
The 24-year-old Dutchman prevailed in Barcelona on Sunday and, despite his own problems with the DSR system, benefited from the failure of the previous world championship leader Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari.
The international press writes about this:
Spain
»El Mundo Deportivo«:
»Verstappen reigns in the middle of the Ferrari drama and is already the world championship leader.
Leclerc actually had the race under control, but his engine failure thwarted his plans.
It was a spectacle for the 121,667 spectators in Barcelona, they witnessed the magic of Formula 1.«
»Marca«:
»Verstappen defeats his own demons and is the new World Cup leader.
He's in World Championship mode: he wins every race he finishes.«
»As«:
»Hell is orange.
The engine failure at Leclerc messed up the whole race.
With his comeback, Hamilton proved that he's still a great driver, even if he won't be fighting for the world title."
»Sport«:
»Great victory for Max Verstappen, who used Charles Leclerc's engine problems to his advantage.
George Russell's fight was impressive, it was a highlight of the race."
»El País«:
»No one questions Verstappen's role at Red Bull.
(...) Last season he was able to withstand and finally beat Hamilton and this season he is already in the lead.
And that on Sundays like the last one when he had to swim against the tide due to problems with the movable rear wing (DRS).«
Netherlands
»AD.nl«:
»Max Verstappen is the happiest after an unlucky race.
Five weeks ago there were doubts about winning the title again, now he is suddenly leading the World Cup.
And Mercedes is making a cautious resurgence.”
»De Telegraaf«:
»After a race with two faces, Max Verstappen was again the man with the most points.
It couldn’t be any better, one would think – but his team still has enough problems to solve.«
Great Britain
»The Sun«:
»Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton climbed from the edge of hell to fifth place, which was incredible considering he had a puncture on the first lap.«
»Daily Mail«:
»Max Verstappen fought back from fourth place and won the Spanish Grand Prix (...) Lewis Hamilton had to be dragged back from the brink of despair in sweltering Barcelona but now believes he can conquer the world again can."
The Guardian:
There were no easy rides in a dramatic, incident-ridden Spanish Grand Prix, but perseverance was certainly rewarded.
The tide turned for Mercedes in Barcelona: Lewis Hamilton finished fifth after falling back to 19th place (...).
Proof that the car is on the right track to be back at the front.
Max Verstappen's victory was a fight against the odds over technical issues that unexpectedly allowed him to leap to the top of the championship."
Italy
»La Repubblica«:
»Red Bull doubles in Montmeló: The Dutchman triumphs and overtakes the Monegasque, who had to retire while in the lead due to engine problems on the Ferrari.«
Gazzetta dello Sport:
Ferrari nightmare.
Bad luck follows the Scuderia and Leclerc in Spain.
The engine gave him away.
Now he has the opportunity to restart at his home race in Monte Carlo.«
»Corriere dello Sport«:
»The Ferrari weekend, which had started perfectly, has become torture.
Leclerc has been betrayed by his car and capitulated to Verstappen.
In any case, apart from the results, both have shown great abilities.«
Tuttosport:
The engine betrays Leclerc.
Technical issues aside, the Ferrari driver has shown maturity and balance that he will desperately need for the remainder of the championship.
His talent can overcome many hurdles.«
»Corriere della Sera«:
»Fate plays a nasty trick on Leclerc.
The engine leaves a lot to be desired, and Verstappen benefits from that.
Leclerc is now dreaming of revenge at the home race in Monte Carlo, the right place for Ferrari to catch up."
France
»L'Equipe«:
»School report card for the Spanish Grand Prix: Verstappen opportunist, Perez exemplary teammate.«
"Le Figaro":
"Red Bull's double victory in Spain, Ferrari and Leclerc lose massively."
Switzerland
"Neue Zürcher Zeitung":
"At the end of the heat drama, Max Verstappen keeps a cool head.
But not only the world champion belongs to the winners in Spain.
The Mercedes team, which recently slipped into the crisis, is also given a boost.
The World Cup should be even more exciting than one might think at the moment.«
»Blick«:
»Verstappen thanks to Leclerc drama new World Cup leader.«
see/dpa/sid
