Lambiase has message for competition: 'Verstappen will get even better'
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Gianpiero Lambiase is still thoroughly enjoying working with Max Verstappen. The 44-year-old Italian Briton believes the 62-time Formula 1 race winner has taken another step forward this year. The big question, according to him, is where this will end up.
Giampiero Lambiase still finds working with Max Verstappen thoroughly enjoyable. The Dutchman's race engineer believes he has taken another step forward this season
"This year has shared many similarities to 2021," Lambiase told Sky Sports following the Las Vegas GP. " It was getting pretty intense at times, obviously the part that we had the feeling of the year cemented it in the end. But he's taken another step, which I think for you guys are probably pretty hard to believe. The effort he's put in in the office, with us as a crew. He doesn’t have to be there and winning every single thing, every single weekend. He's come on a lot, and I'm really proud of him."
The RB20 is not an easy car to drive this year, as we can see from Sergio Perez's performance. Moreover, it has already won seven different races this year, as well as the last six GPs were won each time by a different driver. Verstappen, however, maximised time after time and his race engineer calls that incredibly clever.
The RB20 has not been an easy car to drive at times this season. Moreover, seven drivers have already won multiple Grands Prix in the current season, and six different drivers won at the last six events. Verstappen managed to maximise his points on each occasion, and his race engineer believes he drove very cleverly.
"No, and I think that's the thing. You have your chats with him outside of the track, but what you hear on the broadcast is not necessarily Max, that's just him with his adrenaline at the time. As much as he's got this bravado, he will absorb every single piece of information that goes through those ears. That's his real strength. You can always rely on him in the heat of the moment to just do the right thing," 'GP' continued.
Verstappen only continues to develop
In 2025, Verstappen could win his fifth drivers' championship in a row. That would make him only the second driver in history to achieve that, after Michael Schumacher. According to Lambiase, what could be worrying for their rivals is that Verstappen is only getting better.
"The worrying thing for the grid is that Max is improving every year, which is frightening really because he's at an incredible level as it. But, in all areas, that's the thing, he's working hard with the team, his racecraft on track, his qualifying laps, his consistency and also his ability to give up when you need to give up the worry," the race engineer explained to F1 Nation.
This article was written in collaboration with Corwin Kunst
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