McLaren suffer 'great blackout' as Max Verstappen makes major declaration – International media reacts

Kimi Antonelli made F1 history after securing victory in the Chinese Grand Prix, becoming the second-youngest winner in the sport.

It was not the only piece of history made by the Italian, who also became the youngest pole-sitter in F1, converting pole position into victory.

George Russell secured another Mercedes one-two ahead of Lewis Hamilton, with the Ferrari driver ending a 26-race wait for his maiden podium in red.

Elsewhere, it was a disastrous weekend for McLaren, which suffered a double DNS, while Max Verstappen was forced to retire and criticised the sport yet again.

Here is how media from around the world reacted to the second round of the F1 season, the Chinese GP.

🇬🇧 The Times - "‘Back to my best’: Hamilton earns first Ferrari podium behind maiden race winner Antonelli"

Starting our trip around the world is British newspaper The Times, which focused on comments from Hamilton after his first Ferrari rostrum.

The seven-time world champion battled for the lead in the opening stages at the Shanghai International Circuit but could not keep up with either Mercedes car.

In the end, he defeated Charles Leclerc in a fight for the final spot on the podium to finally taste champagne in Ferrari red.

He declared afterwards that he was feeling "back to my best" and was full of praise for the new power unit regulations.

🇳🇱 De Telegraaf - "Resigned Max Verstappen is glad the weekend is over: 'I'd be better off starting last'"

In the Netherlands, De Telegraaf covered Verstappen's major start difficulties following yet another poor launch as the lights went out.

In both the China Sprint and the grand prix, Verstappen tumbled towards the back of the field after his RB22 trundled off the start line.

Verstappen recovered to sixth in the race before an ERS cooling fault forced him to retire, worsening the Dutchman's already sour mood.

He stressed he would be better off "starting last" due to always falling backwards, as he becomes increasingly frustrated with his poor starts.

🇪🇸 El País - McLaren's great blackout: from champion to not even starting the race

In Spain, El País analysed McLaren's shocking weekend, which saw both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri fail to start the Chinese GP.

Norris failed to even leave the garage, while Piastri was wheeled off the grid following his reconnaissance lap.

Both drivers suffered electrical issues with the power unit; however, the problems were completely different and not linked to one another.

It marked the first time since the 2005 United States GP that McLaren failed to start a race with either car, with Piastri yet to complete a racing lap in 2026.

🇮🇹 La Gazzetta dello Sport - "Hamilton and Leclerc, will they collide? Vasseur: 'Free to race.'"

In Italy, La Gazzetta dello Sport looked into the intra-team fighting in China between Hamilton and Leclerc.

The duo battled hard in both the sprint and the grand prix, an element that ended any hope of victory in both races.

Leclerc was left unhappy with the fighting in the sprint but praised the duel in the grand prix, with Hamilton coming out on top.

According to Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur, team orders are not currently on the agenda, allowing Leclerc and Hamilton to race freely.

🇦🇺 Herald Sun - Announcer gets Kimi Antonelli’s name wrong in brutal moment

In Australia, the Herald Sun shared the story with its audience of F1's podium announcer naming the wrong driver during the Chinese GP celebrations. 

As Antonelli was preparing to walk onto the podium, 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen's name was announced as the winner of the race. 

It was a comical incident which saw Russell and Hamilton both like at one another, with Antonelli having clearly heard the mistake but saw the funny side of it.

🇺🇸 The Washington Post - Formula 1 calls off April races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to Iran war

And finally, in the United States, The Washington Post shared the news of F1 confirming the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia next month. 

The decision was made due to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, which started with the US and Israel firing missiles at Iran, resulting in ongoing retaliation. 

It has created a five-week gap on the calendar between rounds in Japan and Miami, with it to be the first time since 2020 that an F1 grand prix has not been held in April.