Max Verstappen and his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase were recently heard quarreling at the 2024 F1 Hungarian GP qualifying session. The conversation was about the risk of rain and whether the three-time world champion should pit for wet weather tires or not.
During the qualifying session in Budapest, there was a growing tension in every team garage that the circuit could soon experience a downpour. This would effectively ruin the qualifying session for several drivers who will fail to clock a fast lap time when the track is still dry.
Max Verstappen also voiced his concern over the Red Bul's radio to his race engineer. He initially stated that he did not think he could improve. Then he screamed about the potential rainfall during the Hungarian GP qualifying session.
"Mate, I don't think we can improve like this," Verstappen said.
"What's your concern? The temperatures, or..." Lambiase asked.
"The rain! The rain!" the Red Bull driver exclaimed.
Hearing this, Gianpiero Lambiase shut down Max Verstappen by saying that they could simply pit him and change his tires. He also told the three-time world champion to calm down. The Italian Red Bull engineer mentioned that he asked about the tire temperatures since Verstappen himself was talking about it a while back.
"Okay, calm down Max. Then if you're concerned about the rain, we can box. We can come back to the garage it's not a problem. You were talking to me about tire temps," Verstappen's race engineer snapped.
Max Verstappen's race engineer on how his past experience in F1 helped him manage the Dutchman
Gianpiero Lambiase, Max Verstappen's race engineer at Red Bull, recently discussed how his experience of working with other F1 drivers enabled him to forge a close bond with the Dutch driver.
In the paddock, Verstappen and Lambiase's partnership is well-known. They regularly argue and discuss vehemently over different on-track scenarios. Although their relationship appears harsh on the outside, they have both often clarified that their open and honest relationship has enabled them to succeed in F1.
"I had experience working with multiple drivers before Max, and that was one of the biggest helps in terms of hitting the ground running with him. I think if I would have been a newbie to my role - I won't quite say he would have eaten me alive, but I'm not sure he would have had that respect for a junior engineer," Lambiase said (via BBC).
Lambiase worked with a number of F1 drivers prior to working with Verstappen, such as Vitantonio Liuzzi, Paul di Resta, Sergio Perez, and Daniil Kvyat. Lambiase has been by the Dutchman's side ever since he took Kvyat's place at Red Bull and has assisted him in winning three consecutive drivers' world championships.