Max Verstappen has revealed that he likes the style of his relationship with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, as he prefers a “bit of fire” over the radio than someone being “very monotone”.
Lambiase has been Verstappen’s race engineer ever since the Dutchman made his Red Bull debut, back at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.
Over the last few seasons in particular, it’s been picked up on by many how often Verstappen and Lambiase appear to argue, something the Dutchman recognises people must “love”.
The duo are able to become heated over the radio and remain civil afterwards because of how strong a bond they’ve formed over the years, allowing them to understand what they need from each other to perform at the highest level.
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Lambiase giving Verstappen direct instructions and coming across as a bit strict is what the three-time World Champion demands, as he’d be frustrated otherwise.
“It’s how the relationship works,” Verstappen told Motorpsort.com. “I would be very, not upset, but I wouldn’t want to have an engineer who is very monotone or just says ‘copy… check that’.
“You just need a bit of fire. That’s how I like to operate.”
One of Verstappen’s biggest radio rows with Lambiase this year came during qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix, where the Red Bull driver scrapped through to Q3.
Verstappen progressed to Q3 in P10, something which left him furious.
He was quick to slam Red Bull’s “s*** execution” and insisted that he should’ve been allowed to do two consecutive push laps.
Lambiase responded by stressing that if he’d done so, then he would’ve had no battery at the end of the session when the track was at its quickest.
Whilst this was aired across the F1 live feed, Verstappen admits that more often than not, his conversations with Lambiase aren’t heard in full, which can paint the wrong picture as a result.
“I guess people love it,” he said. “But that’s our relationship. We are very straightforward and if we don’t like something, we of course communicate.
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“It’s also a bit F1’s fault because they broadcast everything just to throw it out there.
“They don’t need to broadcast it – if you know what I mean. So, I guess they also like the excitement coming out.
“But our relationship has never really changed in that manner. And also after the race we are absolutely fine because, of course, we are there to win the race.”