Perez blames Sainz as McLaren take control of title fight – International media reacts
Oscar Piastri claimed a stunning victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as McLaren took the lead of the constructors’ championship.
It was an enthralling race at the Baku City Circuit which saw Charles Leclerc lead the first stint from pole position, before Piastri made a late move at the first corner on the Ferrari driver on lap 20.
Piastri defended tremendously from Leclerc for the following 26 laps of the race, which ended under VSC following a crash on the penultimate lap for Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez.
The duo were battling Leclerc for second, before coming to blows on the back straight between the second and third corners. George Russell inherited a shock P3 as a result, ahead of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
What did the rest of the world make of the race? Find out as RacingNews365 takes you through the headlines of some of the biggest global publications.
🇬🇧 The Times – ‘Piastri and Norris send McLaren top after dramatic late crash’
Starting in the United Kingdom, popular newspaper The Times has focused on Piastri’s second-career F1 victory, and McLaren overtaking Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.
Piastri drove a superb race and seemingly caught Leclerc by surprise with his late move into the first corner, before putting on a defensive masterclass.
It was a different sort of masterclass by Norris, who delivered an exceptional opening stint to finish fourth after starting 15th.
Crucially, he reduced Verstappen’s title lead by a further three points, whilst McLaren now lead Red Bull by 20 points.
🇮🇹 La Gazzetta dello Sport – ‘Sainz: “I didn’t do anything wrong”. Perez: “Carlos went inside too fast”‘
In Italy, La Gazzetta dello Sport reflected on the penultimate lap crash involving Perez and Sainz, which ended both drivers hopes of a Baku podium.
It had been, up until the accident, Perez’s best race in some time, with the Mexican driver having looked set for his first rostrum since the Chinese Grand Prix earlier this year.
The stewards decided to take no further action over the collision, which Perez believed was Sainz’s fault, whilst the Ferrari driver stressed he was not in the wrong.
Sainz and Perez were alongside each other when the accident happened, with both cars having sustained significant damage.
🇫🇷 L’Equipe – ‘Verstappen: “A very bad race again”‘
In France, French publication L’Equipe has discussed another disappointing race for Verstappen, who remains very unhappy with his RB20.
The three-time world champion complained of no grip, no brakes and his car “jumping”, in what was the latest blow to his title lead.
Norris overtook the Dutchman with a few laps remaining to reduce Verstappen’s lead to 59 points, with the chances of a new world champion increasing steadily.
🇳🇱 De Telegraaf – Boost for Lando Norris: ‘I’m surprised I was able to overtake Max’
In the Netherlands, De Telgraaf has looked at quotes from Norris, who was “surprised” that he was able to finish ahead of Verstappen.
With Norris having started nine places behind Verstappen, the McLaren driver was not expected to further reduce the 26-year-old’s championship lead.
The key to Norris’ P4 result was a stellar first stint on the hard compound which lasted 37 laps, giving him a significant tyre and speed advantage in the closing laps.
🇩🇪 BILD – ‘Red Bull writes off World Cup’
In Germany, BILD focused on some powerful quotes from Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko, regarding the team’s title chances.
After Perez crashed out and Verstappen finished fifth, Marko told Sky DE: “We can write off the constructors’ championship.”
Red Bull will require significant improvements to the RB20 to reduce its deficit to McLaren, which is expected to move beyond 20 points this weekend in Singapore.
🇦🇺 Herald Sun – ‘”Phenomenal”: Oscar Piastri wins Azerbaijan Grand Prix amid wild late drama’
And finally, in Australia, the Herald Sun has celebrated its home driver’s second F1 victory. Piastri has been in fine form recently.
The McLaren driver’s overtake on Leclerc and nerve to defend the lead for 31 laps was exceptional, highlighting why he is viewed so highly by many.
He is now 91 points behind Verstappen in the drivers’ championship and 32 behind Norris, in what could become a situation for McLaren to deal with should the Australian driver win in Singapore.
