The 2024 Hungarian GP gave a glimpse of the return of ‘Mad Max’ Verstappen. The Dutchman earned this nickname due to his aggressive driving and radio rants in the past. In the last two years, he has been quite calm because of Red Bull’s dominance. However, the team is now under pressure, and Verstappen’s inherent aggression is resurfacing. Coincidentally, his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase (GP) predicted this last year during a casual chat on the Talking Bull podcast.
Per a Twitter (now X) clip of the podcast that also had Verstappen beside him, Lambiase said, “I was about to say my biggest fear is the moment that we do have increased competition and we’re not winning every race because you see how he’s treating me at the moment (2023) and he’s winning every race. I’m really not looking forward to it”.
GP is so incredibly calm man jeez https://t.co/MTZyLaXvju
— Newton™ (@__NEWTON_) July 23, 2024
Sadly, GP’s biggest fear has come true as of the race at the Hungaroring. The three-time champion was furious on team radio toward his team throughout the race. For him, the car was difficult to drive and the strategy also put him on a backfoot.
Verstappen’s frustrations also led to the risky move which ended up in a collision with his old foe, Lewis Hamilton. The collision not only guaranteed he wouldn’t secure the last podium place but also added to his anger with Lambiase, who was not supporting his complaints.
If Red Bull is continuously backed into a corner, the rants from the 26-year-old will only become regular. In Hungary, Verstappen was enraged to the degree that he could not control his emotions even after the race. He confessed that Red Bull’s decision to not give him straight answers ticked him off further. However, the aggression wasn’t flowing in just one direction.
Lambiase was firm in his responses to Verstappen
Lambiase has been working with Verstappen, since the 26-year-old’s first race for the Milton Keynes-based outfit. So, seeing him grow as a champion, GP knows how to manage the fiery Dutchman. When the radio outbursts get a little out of hand, the Italian isn’t afraid to give it back to him as well.
In Hungary, there were a couple of instances where Lambiase did not agree with Verstappen. As compiled by @F1_Newsletter on X, GP first disagreed with Verstappen and said, “You were behind at the apex Max” when he complained during his battle with Hamilton.
On the second occasion when he made contact, Lambiase instantly nipped things in the bud. He said, “I’m not even going to get into a radio fight with other teams, Max. We’ll let the stewards do their thing. It’s childish on the radio, childish“.
Even Max Verstappen’s race engineer is fed up with his team radio nonsense.
Big applause to GP for these respones. Shut up and drive Max. #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/PFSb3DdbrZ
— Maxx | F1newsletter.com (@F1_Newsletter) July 21, 2024
These exchanges prove the tough and intense relationship the two share. So, despite the tensions boiling over in Hungary, they will look to move past it in time for the Belgian Grand Prix. However, knowing their relationship, if and when things go well during a race, Lambiase will surely reference the Hungarian Grand Prix and make a striking comment.
