F1 News
GP tells who is boss in their partnership: Him or Verstappen
As Max Verstappen's race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase does not always have it easy. Sometimes a particular moment in a race leads to an argument. However, the British-Italian told the BBC that Verstappen is ultimately the boss.
"I think it is inevitable in any relationship that there are disagreements," Lambiase began. "The first port of call is acceptance of that. Secondly, you need to have faith in each other that it is for the greater good rather than there being any kind of malicious undertone. That is at the core of the relationship."
That Verstappen can be hard on 'GP' at times is clear. Right from the start, the then-18-year-old Dutchman always told it like it was. Lambiase already said that if he had been an engineer who had only just entered Formula 1, Verstappen would probably have shown him less respect too.
'It's Max's hot seat'
"As an engineer, I need to understand that ultimately Max is in the hot seat, not me," stated Verstappen's engineer. "So while we are all working in a pressurised environment, the driver is at a level well beyond that."
He continued: "As an older citizen I would like to think I am mature enough to step back and let him vent when necessary, but to also make him understand why decisions are being made. If I was a yes man, I would have been gone long ago. We have just got that honesty in the relationship between us that we can be blunt and straight-talking when needed."