The reflection of the next day in the major Italian newspapers cannot fail to touch upon the two main topics of the French Grand Prix: the dramatic victory of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull and the net decline of Ferrari.
Formula Max
“Leading the World Championship with a margin of 12 points after a race which he began with a mistake made due to emotions and enthusiasm, straightened by Red Bull with a strategic choice on two stops as risky as it was rewarding. Decided with the awareness of being able to use a superior car and a driver who, when there is a need to row, is stronger than the Abbagnale brothers. Something that Mercedes did not dare, paying a very high price: two Mercedes cars overtook by the Dutch boy for a double image that showed, once more, the abyss that separates Bottas from Hamilton. The Finn, off the podium, defended the position with a shattered pastry from the Red Bull couple, laughing and joking. Despite the defeat, Lewis does not lose an ounce of his gold. And the fact of fighting in a way that hasn’t happened to him for at least two years could restore a ferocity up to the challenge.” – wrote Giorgio Terruzzi in Corriere della Sera.
Ferrari in crisis
“Carlos Sainz shakes his head: speaking of being slow in the world of high speed is equivalent to surrender. Ferrari arrived in France with the fear of going badly and returned home with a defeat from the past. Zero points, a lapped driver, two minutes behind Max Verstappen, a splendid winner ahead of the usual Lewis Hamilton. There is no explanation: the car devoured the tires and the drivers didn’t understand anything. Yet in qualifying it had not gone so badly. The (unsuccessful) goal was to keep McLaren behind, but they all passed along the way. Ferrari’s last zero in the standings dates back to the 2020 Belgian GP: even then it was the seventh race of the season. Mattia Binotto, the team principal, does not risk an explanations, but excludes that there is a link with the mandatory increase in rear tire pressures and promises a competitive Ferrari already in Austria, where we will race over the next two weekends. Different circuit, different results: this is the rule for the Red cars, which came from the consecutive poles of Monte Carlo and Baku and implanted itself in the fast corners of Paul Ricard.” – La Stampa added.
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