Max Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase names reasons for their fiery radio exchanges

The radio messages between Max Verstappen and his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase are infamous.
Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing with Gianpiero Lambiase (ITA) Red Bull Racing Engineer. Formula 1 World Championship,
Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing with Gianpiero Lambiase (ITA) Red Bull Racing Engineer. …

Despite the Red Bull’s driver success over the past thꦿree seꦕasons, their conversations while he’s on the race track can often become heated.

In Belgium this𝕴 year, Verstappen complained: "We should h🍸ave just pushed two laps in a row like I said.”

Lambiase responded: “You are through Max.” 

Verstappen snapped: “Yeah I don’t give a f*** if we’🅰re P10. It’s just ღshit execution.”

Lambiase hit back: “OK, and then when the track was two seconds quicker on the final lap and you had no energy left, ꦦhow would that have gone down?”

Lambiase ♛told about the manner of their radio messages: ℱ"He doesn't want it any other way.

“He is to the point, tꦏhat's how he was raised.♋ And he is not at all out to walk all over you.

"Honesty and being yourself is crucial to w🅷orking productively and efficiently. If you start wondering whether you should say something because otherwise he might get angry, then you are on to🅺 a lost cause.

"You have to be 🌳able to trust each other blindly and also keep an eye on the mental and emotional aspects. 

“It's not just𝓀 about the car, but also about how some💛one handles their talent and emotions."

The podium (L to R): Lando Norris (GBR) McLaren, second; Gianpiero Lambiase (ITA) Red Bull Racing Engineer; Max Verstappen
The podium (L to R): Lando Norris (GBR) McLaren, second; Gianpiero Lambiase (ITA) Red Bull…

Lambiase, who previously worked with Giancarlo Fisichella, Viﷺtantonio Liuzzi, Paul di Resta, Sergio Perez and Daniil Kvyat, has been alongside Verstappen throughout the ♔driver’s F1 journey.

Lambiase was told that Verstappen has suggested he’d quit if his race engineer ever left, but he replied: "It's nice tha🍃t he says that, but there's no way his F1 career would be over if I walked out of here tomorrow.

"If we no longer work together, I will take 🌺on another challenge. 

“It would not be fair to try to emulate with a new driꦿver what I have done 🍌with Max since 2016.

“This is something very specia𝐆l for me and that won't happen again."

Verstappen came fifth and sixth in the F1 championship in his first ꦓtwo years driving a Red Bull.

"In those years he learned a lot from the difficult momen🧸ts, to the point where in 2021 he realised that he mainly had to man𓆉age race finishes and that he couldn't afford DNFs,” Lambiase said.

“And with that title in his pocket, he can now judge how many risks he has to take꧂. 

“He now also knows t♎hat he doesn't always have to be the 105 percent version of himself."

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