Verstappen ‘loses a bit of interest’ when dominating, F1 race engineer claims

Verstappen has won a record-breaking 17 of the 20 races to have taken place so far this year, with many of those featuring a comfortable margin of victory over his nearest rival. 

And the three-time world champion’s race engineer has been given the impression that Verstappen has sometimes “lost a bit of interest” during grands prix. 

“Sometimes I get the feeling that you are just bored basically,” Lambiase said to Verstappen on Red Bull’s in-house 'Talking Bull' podcast. 

“I think even if we’re 30 seconds up the road I’ll still be in the zone, as it were, still trying to maximise everything and taking everything seriously. 

“Whereas I think at that point [Max] has perhaps lost a bit of interest and is like, ‘Come on GP, just chill out of it.’” 

Verstappen and Lambiase have engaged in several confrontational exchanges over team radio during the course of the year, most notably at the Belgian Grand Prix. 

In one message that was broadcast towards the end of the race at Spa, which he won by over half a minute, Verstappen suggested that Red Bull should do “some extra pit stop training” and put fresh tyres on in a bid to claim the bonus fastest lap point. 

“At exactly the same point I’ve got Christian [Horner, Red Bull team principal] in my ear saying, ‘No, no, we don’t need that’”, Lambiase said.

Verstappen admitted to making some “cheeky comments” but rejected the notion that he and Lambiase engage in ‘fake arguments’. 

“I mean, of course, respect is very important,” Verstappen explained. “But people sometimes they don’t really understand what kind of relationship you have.

“So for example, if we are on the radio and where we sound a bit upset or angry, they think we are in a fight. But that’s not the case.

“It’s just we want the best out there. And then of course, sometimes I raise my voice on the radio because yeah, full of adrenaline while driving. And of course, GP also he wants the best and that’s why sometimes we have quite fiery conversations.

“But for me, that is the way I like to approach our weekend, our racing, because if I would be upset or whatever or not happy with a certain situation, he’s like, ‘copy that or like thank you very much for your message’. I’d be, ‘What is going on?’

“You know, we are both in this together and we want to have the best possible result. But of course, respect is very important.”