Christian Horner unveils Sebastian Vettel’s pivotal role in forging the Max Verstappen-Gianpiero Lambiase duo

Gianpiero Lambiase has worked with Max Verstappen since the 2016 Formula One season.

Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen (Image credit: NDTV Sports)

Red Bull, before pairing with Max Verstappen, recruited Gianpiero Lambiase to join forces with Sebastian Vettel. GP has been a huge part of the Dutchman’s on-track success. This is a well-known fact of recent times. However, team principal Christian Horner revealed that former Red Bull star Vettel even interviewed Lambiase before their successful partnership at Red Bull.

According to Christian Horner, GP was brought in Guillaume Rocquelin‘s replacement, who sought to become the Head of Race Engineering for Vettel. GP endured an intensive selection process, including an in-depth interview with Sebastian as Rocky’s successor. When joining Red Bull, Sebastian Vettel was nearly leaving for Ferrari. This led to GP partnering up with Daniil Kvyat.

“GP originally came as a replacement for Rocky (Guillaume Rocquelin) who wanted to rise to the role of Head of Race Engineering,” Christian Horner said. “He went through a grueling selection process, which also included that he was interviewed in detail by Sebastian to become Rocky’s successor. When he signed with Red Bull, Sebastian was about to leave for Ferrari. So he came to work with Sebastian Vettel and got Daniil Kvyat,” Horner is quoted by F1 Insider.com.

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Red Bull’s 2015 decision to hire Gianpiero Lambiase proves to be beneficial

Gianpiero Lambiase and Max Verstappen (Image credit: Crash.net)

Max Verstappen has frequently emphasized the significance of Gianpiero Lambiase’s presence on the team. His direct and no-nonsense approach proved valuable to Verstappen during races, despite occasionally leading to disagreements. The duo shares a unique bond, which Christian Horner and the entire Red Bull team highly appreciate.

Lambiase stands out as one of the most renowned race engineers in Formula 1. Fans adore his interactions with Verstappen on the team radio, attributing a significant portion of the Dutchman’s on-track triumphs to his influence. Red Bull’s decision to hire Lambiase in 2015 is now evidently justified, given his instrumental role in the team’s success.

Max on his radio messages with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase during the Belgian Grand Prix…??️ pic.twitter.com/fn6R5Eya1y
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 31, 2023

As evidenced by the recent Spa-Francorchamps race, Lambiase has demonstrated remarkable skill in managing Verstappen’s emotions within Red Bull. Team principal Christian Horner even likened him to the Jason Statham of their team, highlighting his ability to handle challenging situations. This explains why Vettel and Red Bull were keen to onboard him as early as 2015.