Verstappen finished third after starting 16th in Shanghai on Sunday
Monday 10 April 2017 09:45, UK
Max Verstappen proved there are few in Formula 1 who can challenge him as the sport's rain master with a podium finish in the Chinese GP, according to Monday's papers.
Lewis Hamilton drew level with Sebastian Vettel at the top of the Drivers' Championship with victory in Shanghai, but it was Verstappen's drive from 16th to third that set pulses racing.
The 19-year-old rose nine places on the opening lap as the race began in damp conditions and he was running second by lap 11. His only error was locking up to cede that position to Vettel as his supersoft tyres wore down.
"The mutual appreciation society among the joint championship leaders was not the only celebration in the murky outskirts of Shanghai. The other was Max Verstappen shivering Formula 1's timbers with the sheer skill and audacity of his racing," wrote Jonathan McEvoy in the Daily Mail.
"When it comes to jabbing and darting in the wet, can anyone match the elbows-out, foot-to-the-floor, I'm-coming-through bravura of the 19-year-old?
"One of a tiny group who might is Hamilton, but he had no chance to flex his muscles because he started on pole and led throughout, setting the fastest lap, in a textbook exhibition of perfection.
"His winning margin was 6.2 seconds over Vettel, with Verstappen third. But it was not just where Dutchman Verstappen finished that matters in recounting his afternoon, but where he started: 16th after engine problems in qualifying.
"On a drying track after morning drizzle, yet with dangerous pools here and there, he zoomed nine places in a lap. He saw dry lines others did not and seized them in ways others could not."
Verstappen's performance had Red Bull team principal Christian Horner labelling the Dutchman as one of the best of all time in the wet.
The Guardian's Giles Richards hailed Verstappen's inspirational drive for proving F1 2017 can produce exciting racing under the new regulations.
"Potential flaws in the regulations had dominated discussion after the first round in Melbourne and it is still early days, but here in Shanghai any fears that overtaking would prove impossible under the new formula were given short shrift by an absolutely storming drive from the back by Max Verstappen in the Red Bull to take third and by Sebastian Vettel, who battled back with some show-stopping passes to secure second in the Ferrari," he wrote.
"Verstappen, still only 19, has demonstrated his raw talent before, not least in Brazil last season, but his confidence and audacity and the excitement he generates when behind the wheel are quite inspiring and just what the sport needs."
And the Daily Telegraph's Ben Curtis says Verstappen's drive proves he is a multiple world champion in waiting.
"Though Red Bull are still a long way off the front runners, Verstappen has the speed - and overtaking ability - to have a big say in the 2017 world championship," he wrote.
"Could there be a third contender? If not now, certainly in the future. He's an F1 title winner in waiting. A question of how many rather than if."
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