Max Verstappen has clarified a radio conversation with his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, that aired during the F1 Japanese Grand Prix.
Red Bull’s three-time world champion won for the third time in four races this season, beating teammate Sergio Perez by 12 seconds in Suzuka.
Verstappen’s race was not without incident, as he complained about his RB20’s understeering and oversteering.
“Yeah, maybe one or two clicks less is OK,” Verstappen was heard saying over team radio.
To which Lambiase replied, “I won’t say I told you so, but I understand. “Thank you.”
Verstappen was asked about the radio discussion following his victory.
“We didn’t argue, but he asked, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?'” I was pretty convinced, but it turned out to be wrong! “But he was correct,” he conceded.
“In a way, it also motivates me because I’m like, ‘Even though I’m not completely satisfied with the balance right now, I’ll try to be as consistent as I can without shouting back at him.'”
“We have a great relationship and it works well like that.”
According to Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko, Verstappen and Lambiase have a “old married couple” relationship.
“That is the old married couple coming out again!” Marko said.
“There was a lengthy discussion about how many clicks of the front wing we needed to modify. Max insisted, and Gianpiero was pleased to learn that he was correct in the end.
“Max, his race engineer, and the data engineer all have extensive expertise. They know what to do, and they know what Max prefers.
“It was more or less the right decision, we just had to make a small adjustment after the first stint, so during the first stop.”
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