Max Verstappen is not a talkative person, but his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, can persuade him to open up. Since Verstappen joined Red Bull, the Italian engineer has been his race engineer. Following that, both guys provided spectators with a lot of memorable experiences through their exchanges on the team radio. However, after some tense moments between the two previously, rumors of Lambiase getting sacked started arising. However, in a recent interview with Channel 4 Sport, the three-time champion insisted on the opposite and explained why he needs tough guys like Lambiase to challenge him.
Verstappen has been with Red Bull since 2016 but is currently in his peak days. After becoming champion for the first time in 2021 under controversial circumstances the Dutchman dominated the last two years too. Under his top form, the team eclipsed McLaren’s 35-year-old record of 11 consecutive victories by winning 12 straight this year.
Furthermore, he has had 10 consecutive victories and has already won the driver’s title. Red Bull has won two championships in a row with him. Though there have been a number of factors leading Verstappen to success, he feels Lambiase deserves a spot at the top.
Max Verstappen sheds light on his relationship with GP
In a recent interview with Red Bull ambassador David Coulthard, Max Verstappen showed how crucial his relationship with GP is. The three-time champion was asked about Lambiase’s blunt style and the fact that the race engineer chastises Verstappen and instructs him to focus on the race. Coulthard also asked Verstappen if he was aware of all the radio calls that were going viral. In response to all these queries, the 49-GP winner reacted sarcastically initially saying that he will absolutely need to speak with marketing.
However, later on, while opening up, Verstappen said, “ I think we both have quite strong characters but that’s what I like. That’s how I prefer to operate in a team like we need to be honest to ourselves. Yeah, that’s why I think we have a great relationship.”
Verstappen’s words effectively put an end to any talks about Lambiase’s firing. However, even if Verstappen wanted him gone, Horner and Red Bull would never want that to happen.
Why does Christian Horner want GP to behave exactly as he does?
This year, Max Verstappen has had enough radio calls with Lambiase to generate headlines. The Dutchman, at the Spanish GP, was attempting to complete his career’s third grand slam (pole, race win, fastest lap). However, in his attempt to set the quickest lap time, he became embroiled in a snarky exchange with Lambiase. Despite having an advantage of over 20 seconds over second place Hamilton, GP did not want to take any chances of Max going for fastest lap.
Christian Horner:
🗣️ “The relationship Max and GP have is almost like an old married couple debating about which television channel they should be watching.”😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/votR4cP44f
— Verstappen News (@verstappenews) June 4, 2023
The bold Dutchman went for it anyway and got the tag. Following the race, Christian Horner made an intriguing connection between Max Verstappen and Gianpiero Lambiase’s relationship. According to Racing News365, Horner stated, ” The relationship they have is almost like an old married couple debating about which television channel they should be watching.” This is what the Briton answered when questioned about the argument between the Dutchman and Lambiase.
Aside from that, Horner also believes Lambiase is the only one who is capable of persuading Max to listen to him. The Brit stated that, “The dynamic between the two is so intense that in between, you have to ask yourself who is supposed to be the driver and who is supposed to be the engineer here.”
