Max Verstappen’s Race Engineer Fears the End of Red Bull’s Dominance Owing to the Dutchman’s Temper

Max Verstappen’s Race Engineer Fears the End of Red Bull’s Dominance Owing to the Dutchman’s Temper

Max Verstappen is notorious for his radio bust-ups with his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase. However, given the three-time world champion’s temperamental characteristics, Lambiase fears the day when Red Bull’s dominance will finally come to an end.

This season alone, Verstappen has, on countless occasions, exchanged x-rated and angry rants with Lambiase. Picking on this, the Briton joked on the Talking Bulls podcast saying, “Well, my biggest fear is the moment when we will face more opposition, that we will no longer win every race, because if you already see how Max treats me. I’m really not looking forward to that day!”

Jokes aside, Lambiase was quick to also highlight the path the duo have taken to the very zenith of this sport. He has been with Verstappen ever since the latter made his debut with the Milton-Keynes-based team. He emphasized on how they’ve grown together, season after season.

Red Bull’s team principal paid probably the best ode to their relationship when he told GPBlog.com, “The relationship they have is more like an old married couple, almost debating about which channel of television they should be watching.”

Lambiase’s biggest fears lurk as Max Verstappen dominance sees imminent threat

While on the podcast, Lambiase joked about the Bulls’ dominant streak coming to an end. In reality, it is possible that they do fall from grace very soon. McLaren has already clawed back a huge chunk of performance to the Bulls in 2023.

Naturally, in 2024, the Woking-based team with Lando Norris at the helm seems like the most likely candidate to dethrone Verstappen. The entire Papaya army is expecting a championship fight next year. The way that the MCL60 has been developed this year, that isn’t a far-fetched dream either.

However, it is understandable why Lambiase dreads the day Red Bull stops having the strongest car on the grid. Verstappen has displayed his undying thirst for success on many occasions. With such drive and determination, the three-time champion is often liable to lose his cool when things don’t go his way.

While Lambiase would have been joking about that eventuality, in the off season, the duo will be sure to regroup and devise a plan to thwart any opposition next year.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Gianpiero Lambiase Max Verstappen McLaren Red Bull

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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