A cumbersome but decisive father
Jos Verstappen it was both a cross and a delight for Max Verstappen. The driver born in 1997 had to deal with extreme sporting educational methods, but the results are there for all to see. The Dutchman recently defined Helmut Marko as a second father to him and Max has changed gear since Jos is no longer a permanent presence inside the Red Bull garage, a decision taken in 2018 after Verstappen's mistake in PL3 of Monaco Grand Prix then won by his teammate Daniel Ricciardo.
Max Verstappen's race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiasebelieves that Jos Verstappen had a very important role for his son who had a mentor in Jos who passed on a very important technical background to Max, but not only that. “Max Verstappen is not someone who wants to step on you – the words of Lambiase interviewed by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf regarding the peppery exchanges of opinions over the radio between him and his pilot – it is clear, direct. That's how he was raised. His father, Jos, taught him very well. I take on that role a bit on the track, with my responsibilities as an engineer. This dynamic seems to work well. I'm not an expert in sports psychology, but you need to perceive the character of a driver to obtain an optimal result.”
Lambiase therefore knows which 'strings' to touch and the same goes for Max: “It's something fundamental in my work: being able to blindly trust others, but also being aware of the emotional aspect. Today the mental aspect is becoming more and more important. It's not just about talent or a car, but how someone manages that talent and their emotions – added Lambiase in reference to the relationship with Max Verstappen – winning 17 races out of 20 is something extraordinary that goes beyond the quality of the vehicle. Max is the main factor in having maintained such a high winning percentage in 2023 combined with the fact that in most situations we made the right decisions”.
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