“I think GP deserves an apology from Max Verstappen": Former F1 champion unimpressed with the Red Bull driver's behavior with his engineer

Former F1 world champion Damon Hill thinks that Max Verstappen should apologize to his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, for his behavior in the Hungarian GP on Sunday. The Dutch driver was not happy with the race strategy or the RB20's lack of performance on track during the main race as he battled with his old foe Lewis Hamilton for the final podium position.

The three-time world champion and his race engineer are often heard talking straightforwardly on the team radio during races. The Red Bull driver's frustration boiled over on many occasions on Sunday and he did not hesitate to express that to Lambiase.

Speaking with Formule1.nl, Damon Hill was not pleased with Max Verstappen's frustrated rants.

“I thought Max sounded a bit frustrated," Hill said. "He was complaining all the time, he sounded a bit desperate if you ask me. But the way he spoke to Gianpiero I thought was very cheeky. I think he deserves an apology from Max.”

While speaking to Sky Sports in his post-race interview, Verstappen clarified that he did not need to apologize, adding:

"I don't think we need to apologize. I just think we need to do a better job. I don't know why people think you cannot be vocal on the radio. This is a sport. If some people don't like that then stay home," he added.

Red Bull team boss gives his verdict on Max Verstappen-GP Lambiase tense radio chatter

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner thinks that Max Verstappen and GP Lambiase would talk about the radio chatter amongst themselves.

Speaking with Sky Sports, Horner said:

"Max was frustrated, which you can understand. He has a very direct line of communication with his engineer. So that's something that they'll discuss between the two of them."

While giving more context to Lambiase's 'childish' jibe at Verstappen during the race, Horner clarified:

"I think that GP [Lambiase] at that point wasn't actually referring to Max. I think he was referring to others on the radio complaining about penalties. So, I don't think GP's reference at that point was in reference to Max.

"Others obviously goading for penalties because the stewards are listening to the radio as well. They've been together for eight years. There are things that we could have done better in the race today but it's something we'll talk about as a team."

Max Verstappen eventually finished P5 in the race and added 10 points to his total in the driver's championship. He has amassed 265 points after 13 races and three Sprints thus far. He currently remains 76 points ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris in the drivers' battle for the championship.