The biggest talking point at Red Bull, apart from Sergio Perez’s performances, has been the disagreements between Max Verstappen and his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase. These arguments have always been a public affair, the tone of which often hints at a slight sourness in the relationship. Despite the two-time defending world champion getting an earful from Lambiase in front of 200 million people, Christian Horner told F1 TV it wasn’t a point of bother for him.
The way Lambiase calmly but firmly handles Max Verstappen’s antics while he is out on the track, it seems like he might be the only person at Red Bull who has control over the Dutchman. Despite rumors suggesting there might be major tension between the two, Horner is firm on it not being a problem within the team.
Christian Horner is not worried about the arguments between Gianpiero Lambiase and Max Verstappen
After a successful qualifying session in Zandvoort, Christian Horner stopped to have a word with the F1 TV panel about the ‘old married couple’ that is Lambiase and Verstappen. The Briton also addressed whether or not the tussle between the two might pose a problem within the team moving forward.
“Well, that needle has been there for the last five, six years, I would say, at least. So it’s nothing new, it’s business as usual, and I think GP does a good job.”
“The only problem is, you’ve got about 200 million other people listening to it. So, I don’t have any issue with it. They know each other inside out.”
With Horner saying the duo have been working together for the last five years, their relationship has become somewhat like a marriage. While the two constantly bicker with each other over trivial things, they help each other to perform at optimum capacity and bring in winning results for the team.
Horner gave way to the “old married couple” joke
Earlier in June this year, Horner called Lambiase and Verstappen an “old married couple,” which gave way to one of the most popular jokes inside the paddock. Now, whenever there is a mention of the duo in the paddock, the joke always makes a famous comeback, gathering a laugh each time.
“When Gianpiero Lambiase decides to quit then I also stop racing”
Max Verstappen about his special bond with his racing engineer.. pic.twitter.com/j2eFxrynxe
— `’-⭕Mets⭕-_ (@mhcrb68) December 17, 2021
However, when things take a serious turn, Verstappen acknowledges how vital Lambiase is to Red Bull’s and his title ambitions. The Dutch driver holds his race engineer in high regard and believes him to be a vital part of the operations within the Austrian outfit.