Verstappen and Lambiase, opposites that attract
In such a dominant year, Max Verstappen needs extra stimulation to have fun and motivate himself. The Dutch rider himself has admitted several times that he is naturally inclined to seek the limit, even when the gap to second would allow for more prudence, because it is the only way he knows to remain 100% focused on his work.
Verstappen’s cannibalistic attitude also has consequences for his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase. The Briton shares with the three-time world champion the same search for perfection in every aspect of the race weekend, but with a decidedly less fiery attitude than that of Super Max. And on some occasions this contrast emerges in the radio teams. How can we forget the “I’m not going to sit back here and wait like a grandmother” by Verstappen in the 70th anniversary GP of F1, held at Silverstone in 2020, or the harsh exchanges at the weekend of the last Singapore Grand Prix, in which the world champion clearly complained about his RB19.
Lambiase’s words
Lambiase told the Red Bull channels how he experiences this relationship with what he defined as his younger brother: “Sometimes I get the feeling he’s bored. I think that even though we are 30 seconds from the end of the race, I still have to be 100% focused, trying to maximize everything possible and taking everything seriously“.
Verstappen’s words
Verstappen also recalled the finale of this year’s Spa Grand Prix, in which he tried unsuccessfully to stop at the last minute to fit soft tyres, attack the fastest lap of 2023 and also make sure that in the pits they “trained” during the breaks. Lambiase, supported by team principal Chris Horner, replied that the team wouldn’t need it, and that there was no reason to take such a risk. The world champion admitted that he sometimes makes cheeky comments on the radio. And he “warned” his race engineer: “Sometimes you open up on the radio just to find out if everything is going well, if the tires are performing. I said we could keep pushing so as to open a window for the pit stop at the end. Sometimes we just make jokes. These aren’t fake discussions, they’re just cheeky comments. And they won’t be the last…“.
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