"He fought like a lion" — Max Verstappen splits media
Max Verstappen spun, fought back, and still walked away as Driver of the Day. Yet international media could not agree on his performance in Miami. Some praised his recovery, others dropped him far down the rankings.
A strong comeback after early mistake splits opinions
The race started badly for Verstappen. He spun in the opening chaos and lost ground immediately. That moment shaped the narrative of his entire weekend.
He did not give up. The Dutch driver fought back through the field with bold overtakes and strong pace. That effort earned him the Driver of the Day award for the fiftieth time.
German outlet Auto Motor und Sport gave him an 8. “His spin made things harder, but his qualifying lap was sensational,” they wrote.
British media praise the fight but question the errors
In the United Kingdom, Autosport also rated Verstappen with an 8. The tone was mixed. They pointed to his aggressive moves during the comeback, but did not ignore the mistakes.
“Sorry, you don’t get style points for a 360 spin,” they joked. Verstappen briefly led the race after an early pit stop, but could not hold that position.
He also received a penalty for crossing the white line at pit exit. That added to the criticism, even though his recovery impressed many observers.
Italian view focuses on what could have been
Italian media took a different angle. La Gazzetta dello Sport gave Verstappen a 6.5 and focused on the lost opportunity.
“He fought like a lion and climbed from sixteenth place,” they wrote. “Without the spin, he could have aimed for a podium.”
That view shows the frustration. The pace was there, but the mistake at the start changed everything.
A bizarre ranking puts Verstappen near the bottom
The most surprising judgment came from The Race. Instead of scores, they ranked drivers from best to worst. Verstappen ended up in 21st place.
Journalist Edd Straw still acknowledged his performance. He pointed to a strong sprint race and a qualifying lap just 0.166 seconds off pole position.
But the mistakes weighed heavily. The spin at the start and the pit exit error pushed him down the list. His aggressive driving also played a role in that decision.
Rivals shine while Verstappen remains in the spotlight
While Verstappen split opinion, others impressed across the board. Kimi Antonelli, Lando Norris and Franco Colapinto received top ratings from multiple outlets.
At the same time, Isack Hadjar struggled and received some of the lowest scores of the weekend. The gap in performance across the grid was clear.
Despite the criticism, Verstappen stayed central in every review. His race had everything: error, recovery and speed. That mix is exactly why the debate continues.
