Red Bull boss Christian Horner addresses Max Verstappen’s public criticism of the team and the heated exchange with race engineer

Red Bull boss Christian Horner said the heated exchange between Max Verstappen and his engineer Gianpiero Lambiase would be discussed within the team. Speaking to media, including Sportskeeda, after the Hungarian GP, the Briton empathized with the Dutchman’s frustration over his car's performance and strategy.

Starting third, Verstappen finished fifth on the grid after losing out to Mercedes and Ferrari due to strategy. He was disappointed with the upgrades after qualifying and vented his frustration about the team not giving its 100 percent. The triple world champion was critical over the radio throughout the race and also while talking to the press afterward.

His heated exchange over the radio with his engineer was a result of frustration over the underwhelming car performance and poor strategy call by the team.

Commenting on the language used by Max Verstappen over the radio, Horner said it was a discussion that would be done within the team and not in the press. The Red Bull Racing CEO felt the Dutchman’s frustration was understandable, given the race execution and car performance in the race.

Asked who was more over-the-top in the radio exchange between Verstappen and his engineer, Horner replied (via The Mirror):

“You know, look Max was frustrated, so as you know, we 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."

Asked if the language used by the Dutchman over the radio is something that will be brought up in the debrief, the Red Bull team boss said:

“I think that something that's not for in here.”

Asked if Max Verstappen had gone too far in Hungary in terms of venting his frustration over the radio and criticizing the team in the press, Horner said:

“I think we see everybody sees, that we need to find more performance. Everybody is working hard to do that. So we’ll have whatever discussions behind close doors.”

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Christian Horner explains Gianpiero Lambiase’s "childish" reference to Max Verstappen over the radio

Christian Horner clarified that Gianpiero Lambiase was referring to rival teams demanding penalties over the radio, after the wheel-to-wheel battle with Lewis Hamilton. He explained that the race engineer was calling rival teams and the radio outcry for penalties over the radio 'childish.'

Lambiase had refused to indulge in such a radio rant for penalties, a practice adopted by teams and drivers across the grid. Many interpreted the radio as an escalation between the duo but the reference made by Lambiase was in a different context. The Red Bull Racing team principal suggested it was a conversation between the two about rivals and their creative use of the radio during a race.

Speaking to Max Verstappen over the radio Lambiase was heard saying (via news.com.au):

“I’m not even going to get into a radio fight with the other team. We’ll let the stewards do their thing. It’s childish on the radio, childish."

Asked to clarify the radio conversation which looked like an escalation between Max Verstappen and his engineer, Horner said:

“No. I think that GP I think at that point was not actually referring to Max. 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. So others obviously goading for penalties, because obviously the stewards listen to the radio as well. You know they’ve been together for eight years and theres things that we could have done better today. Things that we can talk about as a team.”

Max Verstappen had multiple radio rants throughout the Hungarian GP. His frustrations were a result of his car's lacking performance and partly due to the strategy calls made by the Red Bull pitfall. His current result has reduced his title lead from 84 points to 76 points, with 11 more races left on the calendar for his rivals to catch up.

Given the downturn in performance of the RB20, it has become more difficult for the team to find performance gains while developing the car. With competition closing up, losing due to strategy cost reduced the comfortable lead he had over his rivals.