Max Verstappen admits that he and race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase “get along very well”, despite the “difficult times” between the pair.
The Dutchman was known for his radio presence, especially with Lambiase, during his time at Red Bull.
At the Belgian Grand Prix earlier this year, Lambiase told Verstappen to “use his head a little more” after the world champion disobeyed his tire management orders, instead opting to setting aggressive lap times while he was ahead.
During a one-off warm-up session ahead of sprint qualifying at the Qatar GP, the pair shared a saucy exchange as Lambiase told the 26-year-old there was “still a lot to learn” after Verstappen interrupted him that. run early.
In the end, Verstappen won his third consecutive world championship title in the sprint race, much to the delight of his team. Today, he revealed the importance of his relationship with Lambiase, who has a “strong personality.”
“[It] is extremely important,” Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.
“I think a racing engineer really needs to understand you and I think it’s very rare to have such a strong relationship with an engineer.
“We got off to a pretty crazy start winning our first race together.
“You have tough moments too, because I’m a strong character, he’s a strong character, but that’s what I love because I’ll tell him when it’s bad and I would tell him when it was okay and he said it to me.” also. That’s why I think we get along so well.
“That’s why sometimes we talk quite loudly on the radio and people sometimes think we don’t like each other but actually we respect each other a lot and always want the best in every situation.”
Verstappen: I know what to do
Despite his achievements that have made him one of Formula 1’s greatest drivers of all time, Verstappen still has much to learn and improvements he can make.
At 26, he has a chance to break Lewis Hamilton’s all-time race wins record, and maybe even come close to Hamilton and Michael Schumacher’s record of seven world titles.
Verstappen believes all his F1 experience is enough to get him through the races without the added support of Lambiase.
“He was really trying to coach me throughout the race,” he continued. “Of course, I know a lot about driving myself, but it’s nice to have that voice.
“Sometimes in my head when I’m driving I’m like ‘Okay, I know what to do’ but it’s nice to have it in the back.”
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