Max Verstappen is showing no signs of slowing down as he finished P1 in qualifying once again ahead of the Belgian GP. However, on this occasion, his outing was far from easy. Verstappen almost failed to progress to Q3 after setting just the tenth fastest time in Q2. With him coming agonizingly close to elimination, he had a heated altercation with his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase. While their initial conversation seemed tense, all seemed to have settled well between them after Verstappen set the record straight in Q3.
When Lambiase first joined the Red Bull family, the team promised him that he would be working together with Sebastian Vettel. Unfortunately for him, he left soon, meaning he got stuck with Max Verstappen. Over the years, however, they have gotten very close. Yet, there are times when their arguments on the radio make fans wonder if they are on good terms.
With the emotions having settled after qualifying in Belgium on Friday, the Dutchman apologized to Lambiase on the team radio. However, Lambiase’s reaction was nothing short of hilarious. He told Verstappen that he is becoming accustomed to his rants on the team radio.
“Slowly getting used to it“: Lambiase’s epic reply to Verstappen
Once the dust settled at the Belgian Grand Prix and Max Verstappen once again topped the timing charts, he apologized to Gianpiero Lambiase on the team radio. The 25-year-old said, “Nice gap that. At least we had a good Q3. And sorry GP for being such on the rant“.
On hearing the Dutchman apologize, Lambiase hilariously replied, “Slowly getting used to it Max“. Considering the conversation between the two, it seems that there is no rift. Verstappen too, ended up giving his best to ensure that he starts the Belgian GP from as high up on the grid as possible.
Simply unstoppable ’round Spa!
Max Verstappen set the sectors alight with the fastest lap of qualifying #BelgianGP #F1 @redbullracing pic.twitter.com/FYGaeksUH2
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 28, 2023
Since the Red Bull driver has a five-place grid penalty, he will start the race down in sixth place despite his pole. The double world champion will line-up behind his former Toro Rosso teammate Carlos Sainz and ahead of the two McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
With Red Bull currently on a 12-race winning streak, Verstappen will want to try his best to win yet another race this season. To do, not only will he have to be at his best but will also hope for an optimal strategy. For this, efficient communication with his race engineer is absolutely vital.
What happened between Max Verstappen and Gianpiero Lambiase after Q2?
Max Verstappen is usually a driver who strives for perfection, and that is exactly something he was looking for at the Belgian GP qualifying. After narrowly escaping elimination in Q2, the Dutchman was furious with Gianpiero Lambiase.
When the Italian-American told him that he was through, Verstappen replied, “I don’t give a f*** about P10“. However, Lambiase was not in a mood to take anything as he gave a befitting reply to Verstappen.
max and gp bantering on the radio pic.twitter.com/sBbbt1GffX
— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) July 28, 2023
Lambiase told him, “OK, and then when the track was 2s quicker for your final lap and you didn’t have any energy left, how would that have gone down? But you tell me what you want to do in Q3, and we’ll do it. Sets, fuel, run plan“.
Despite such a heated argument on the radio, it seems that the two have settled the issues between them quickly. Now, Verstappen will just hope that he can carry forward this strong pace into the rest of the weekend.
