Dhe Melbourne race will be remembered for the chaotic circumstances towards the end. After three red flags and restarts, Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen crosses the finish line as the winner behind the safety car. The international press writes about this:
Australia
The Herald Sun: “In a weekend of accidents, controversy and fires, drivers vented their anger at red flags. But lost in all the drama was the fact that some of them didn’t feel safe on the track.”
Great Britain
The Sun: “Max Verstappen won a chaotic and controversial Australian Grand Prix – which has raised further questions about the Fia’s ability to referee Formula 1 races.”
Daily Mail: “Accidents, flying wheels, danger, confusion, suspense – all combine to underscore Formula 1’s uncanny talent for conjuring up something special when needed and least expected, such as after Red Bull’s unilateral dominance in this young season.”
The Guardian: “From fireworks to farce, what started out as excitement at the Australian Grand Prix ended in complete failure. Inevitably (…) Max Verstappen won for Red Bull in Melbourne, but only after a certain amount of chaos and confusion that F1 knew how to serve cleverly. Their labyrinthine set of rules again weighed heavily on the action.”
Netherlands
AD: “Chaos and sensation at the Australian Grand Prix. Three restarts, a safety car and eight retirements turned the race in Melbourne upside down from the start – but in the end Max Verstappen won for the first time on the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit.”
Spain
Brand: “Lewis Hamilton returns to the podium after a superb performance as the Fernando Alonso vs Carlos Sainz battle went from potential drama for the Asturian (Alonso) to a hard blow for the Madrid native (Sainz).”
Sports world: “Max Verstappen crossed the finish line first at the Australian GP. He did so after nearly losing that triumph by an inch, with a coolness worthy of the champion that he is.”
Italy
Gazzetta dello Sport: “Verstappen stages a monologue in a crazy race. Max, once a breakneck pilot, is now a robot who stays away from accidents. Who else can beat him and Red Bull?”
Corriere dello Sport: “Ferrari is losing his nerve. Leclerc destroys his race on the first lap. Zero points for Ferrari, no podium after three races: no positive result for the new Ferrari boss Vasseur.
Corriere della Sera: “The pilots are revolting against the Formula 1 of chaos. Three red flags at a single Grand Prix is unheard of. Beyond all reason, Niels Wittich abused the red flags. Verstappen, Hamilton and Alonso are saving a sport that is increasingly dangerously sailing towards show business.”
The Republic: “Kangaroo racing in Australia is full of disruption, chaos and polemics. In the end, Verstappen wins thanks to his coolness. The German Niels Wittich causes the most dangerous situations, some of which are incomprehensible to the pilots and the spectators.”
The print: “Anything imaginable happens at the Australian Grand Prix: accidents, three red flags, four starts and protests. Only the result is average: Verstappen wins for the second time this year and Ferrari falls deeper and deeper into the crisis.
France
The Team: “After a crazy race chopped up by three red flags, only Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso survived. Or: How experience counted more than anything.”
Austria
Crown newspaper: “It was a race that will be a topic of conversation for a long time to come. In particular, the red flag shortly before the end of the Australian Grand Prix caused some drivers to shake their heads.”
Switzerland
Blick: “The madness has its climax at the end of the Australian GP: the race control interrupts the race twice three laps before the finish line. Then Verstappen clinches victory behind the safety car.”
