Lambiase: It is important to understand what exactly a rider needs

Max Verstappen has been working with his racing engineer Gianpiero Lambiase since 2016, when he was transferred from Toro Rosso to Red Bull Racing. Of course, they’ve had to endure a lot during this time together, and from the outside, it seems like their working relationship is far from cloudless.

Suffice it to think back to last year’s Belgian Grand Prix, when Max repeatedly raised his voice at his engineer on the radio during qualifying, and Lambiase had to calm him down. But at the same time we must admit that they interact very effectively, as Max’s 54 victories and three championship titles prove.

In an interview with The New York Times about his collaboration with Max, Gianpiero Lambiase drew a parallel between these types of relationships and family life.

“The basis must be the ability to be sincere with each other,” says the Brit. “This is the key to a successful and healthy family life, which in this respect is no different from the very close relationships that connect a racing driver, an engineer and a driver.”

Lambiase understands that he must remain patient and calmly accept the periodic outbursts of emotion that characterize Max: “We all work under pressure, but we must understand that the pressure he experiences is of a completely different nature. Moreover, I think that since I am 43 years old and he is only 26 years old, I should be able to understand such reactions.

We can say that the ability to remain calm is an integral feature of my character. I suppose it could even be considered a mistake of sorts, since I don’t usually react too emotionally to certain things. But in difficult moments you just need to try to learn and think rationally, and not paint yourself into a corner and not get too angry. I’d like to think my work is fairly smooth and stable.

I have no doubt that there are other race engineers who could work with Max as successfully as I have. Ultimately, what matters most is the ability to understand what exactly the driver needs, to connect with him on an emotional level and to be able to adapt to the personalities of the different people you work with.”

Before the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Verstappen’s first race with Red Bull Racing, Lambiase had barely met him, but he was surprised at how quickly the young driver settled into his new team.

“All I heard about him was that he had a reputation as a future superstar,” Gianpiero recalls. “I remember our first meeting, when he came to the team base to work on the simulator for three days. The schedule was quite tight, so that during the preparation for the race in Barcelona he had time to reach the desired speed level and get to know our approach and working procedures. But he understood everything in no time.

It seemed to me that this was a difficult situation for him, and for him I was just another engineer to work with. But we got along pretty well.”

A few days later, Max Verstappen achieved his first victory in Formula 1.

“He has certainly become a more mature professional since then, but also a more mature person,” Lambiase continued. “When he joined our team, we can say that as a driver he was more of a diamond in the rough, but over the years the team has helped him become a top-class professional in every respect. and the ability to work with rubber.

If we talk about his character, he is rather a closed person. He’s not going to open up to anyone right away, but he has his own circle, and when you’re in that circle you realize he’s just a great guy. Now he and I can talk about any topic at any time and be truly sincere with each other.

The basis of success is trust and this honesty in our relationships. As long as the team and Max want our collaboration to continue, it will continue.”