Despite Ferrari's lackluster performance at the Japanese Grand Prix, Italian newspapers couldn't hide their admiration for the performances of Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli at the Suzuka circuit.
La Gazzetta dello Sport wrote, "Verstappen was amazing. Formula 1 is back," noting that the Dutchman taught McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri how to get the most out of their car. It added, "The car seems tailor-made for him... Verstappen can never be ruled out."
Corriere dello Sport focused on Antonelli's brilliance, breaking two of Verstappen's previous records: the youngest driver to start a race and the youngest to set a fastest lap. However, it went on to emphasize that Verstappen also achieved a historic feat by achieving his fourth consecutive victory at Suzuka, marking the tenth consecutive year he has won at least one Formula 1 race.
Corriere della Sera, for its part, headlined: "Verstappen is the Grandmaster, Antonelli is the new 'exceptional' Formula 1," awarding both full marks, while giving Ferrari a poor rating "because they didn't even show up in the race."