BBC gives Verstappen 8.5 as L’Équipe criticises Red Bull after Austin

After the United States Grand Prix, the BBC gave Max Verstappen an 8.5 and described his podium as his sixth in succession. L’Équipe’s verdict was harsher on Red Bull, arguing that the team had failed to make the most of the starting positions of Verstappen and Isack Hadjar.

The BBC praised Verstappen’s pace across the weekend, his front-row qualifying and his recovery despite problems with the car. L’Équipe pointed to a poor start that left both Red Bull drivers on the back foot, Hadjar’s later problems and Ferrari and Leclerc getting the better of Verstappen on strategy.

AS highlighted the opening battle: Leclerc pressed Verstappen through the fast esses, before the Dutchman answered at Turn 15 and moved back ahead.

BILD focused on lap 30, when Verstappen complained that his car was uncontrollable. He pitted a lap later and rejoined 20 seconds behind Antonelli; he reduced the gap to 16 seconds, but Leclerc passed him.

La Gazzetta dello Sport offered a different angle: it reported that Antonelli spent Saturday night in an Austin restaurant studying Verstappen’s previous starts there on his laptop, preparing for the Dutchman’s aggression. Antonelli then got away immediately and, according to the paper, his lead was never threatened. Verstappen was both the driver trying to close on Antonelli and the example the winner had studied the night before.