“I was just annoyed”: Max Verstappen addresses heated exchange with Gianpiero Lambiase

Max Verstappen addressed the heated exchange with Gianpiero Lambiase as a scenario that has unfolded multiple times earlier. Speaking to media including Sportskeeda, the Red Bull driver felt that his heated exchange was a result of him disagreeing with the strategy and the race execution.

From the start of the race, Max Verstappen was venting his frustrations over the radio as he could not catch up to the McLarens. Explaining the heated exchange over strategy and car performance, the Dutchman disagreed that the radio was more tense than usual.

He reckoned there have been several instances before when they’ve had similar exchanges. The 26-year-old claimed that voicing his opinion was necessary and that maybe his team underestimated the severity of their strategy error.

Asked about his unusually heated exchange of words with Lambiase over the radio, Max Verstappen said:

“I've had it before. I wouldn’t agree with that. I was just annoyed of course with today and maybe the team at the time didn’t realise what they did wrong. Or maybe they didn’t see it was so severe. But of course in the car you have a lot of different feelings.”

Asked if it was distracting during the race to argue over the radio while driving, Max Verstappen replied:

“No, I think of course Im annoyed but I have been annoyed before sometimes in pressing the radio to voice your opinion and thats what I did today, hoping that the second pitstop would be a better call. But it wasn’t. For me that is not distracting when I am driving, of course I am annoyed but you also have to focus back on what you have to do and then you also have to control the car.”

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Max Verstappen believes Lewis Hamilton was at fault in Hungarian GP clash.

Max Verstappen blamed Lewis Hamilton for the clash on track at the Hungarian GP, where the Dutchman locked up and clipped the Briton’s car which turned into the corner. The clash resulted in the RB20 getting launched into the air briefly and the triple champion dropping two places on the grid.

Having driven a frustrating race, his hasty move in the wheel-to-wheel battle with Hamilton cost him a potential podium. The stewards investigated the issue after the race and ruled it as a racing incident.

Commenting on the incident after the race, Max Verstappen said:

“Well I got a lot of people trolling me in Austria where people said I am moving under braking and blah blah blah. I am positioning my car in the initial movement and then I keep it straight. But today, under-braking, just kept turning to the right, thats also why I locked up because I was going for the move, but I see the car on the outside just keeps coming at me. And otherwise we would have crashed already before and thats why I had to lock up.”

Without the miscalculated lunge on the inside where he locked up, a little patience could have aided Max Verstappen to the podium. However, in a frustrating race in the Budapest heat, the Dutchman had his fair share of frustrations vented over the radio.

Given that he has been outperforming the car and maneuvering around its limitations, the superior McLarens ahead did not help either. Starting third on the grid, the Dutch champion not only lost a podium but also a fourth-place finish. Finishing fifth, his title lead has been reduced from 84 points to 76 points and his team’s lead in the constructors title has been reduced to 51 points.