David Croft opens up on Red Bull race engineer GP’s ‘no nonsense’ approach to ‘hot headed’ Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen and his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, had a heated exchange over the team radio at the Belgian Grand Prix.
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Max Verstappen and GP (Credits: Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen claimed his eighth consecutive Formula 1 victory at the Belgian Grand Prix and is 125 points clear in the 2023 drivers’ standings. However, the most talked-about topic during the Grand Prix weekend was his relationship with his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase (GP). Verstappen was unhappy with barely making it to Q3 during the qualifying session on Friday.
Though the Dutchman took pole position in the end, it was not without some outburst on his team radio. Later when he apologized, GP joked that he was “slowly getting used to it.” On race day, there was a heated exchange between Max Verstappen and GP, as the latter told the 25-year-old to “use his head a bit more.” Sky Sports commentator David Croft opened up on the Red Bull duo’s relationship, claiming they are the best combination for each other, but GP “takes no nonsense from Max.”
David Croft explained on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, “They are the best combination for each other, that they could have. GP is vastly experienced, he’s been around the sport a long time.” Croft added, “He takes no nonsense from Max but understands there will be times his driver gets a bit hot-headed, isn’t in full control of the facts, would like to make the decisions himself, and will get a little bit irate when it’s not quite what he envisaged.”
David Croft says there is respect between Max Verstappen and his race engineer
David Croft claimed that GP understands Verstappen and has patience. He explained that there is a huge amount of respect between them, and they work well together as they know each other’s pros and cons. He believes these arguments happen in the heat of the moment and is common in racing.
Meanwhile, Karun Chandhok compared the reigning world champion Max Verstappen and GP to former Red Bull champion Sebastian Vettel and his race engineer Guillaume Rocquelin. He feels they bicker like siblings and have a common goal of winning. David Croft agreed with this point and stated that Vettel used to do things that his team did not want him to, and Verstappen does the same. Although, he added that Verstappen respects GP and does not push it too far.
Despite everything that went down between Max Verstappen and his race engineer at the Belgian GP, the Red Bull driver assured that everything is cool between them. He confessed that’s how they work. It is safe to say that GP is strong-headed and is unafraid to express his thoughts to Verstappen. This characteristic makes him well-suited for the job, and there is no doubt about it.
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Sugantha Meena
(493 Articles Published)