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Lambiase on Verstappen in Brazil: 'Hurt would be an understatement'
At the Autosport Awards, there was yet another trophy that was won by Max Verstappen, with the Dutchman earning the 'Moment of the Year' award at the event after his stunning victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Verstappen was not there to collect the award himself, but his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase accepted the award on his behalf, taking to the stage to explain what happened that season-defining weekend.
Verstappen claims Autosport Awards trophy
After a hugely difficult season for Red Bull and Verstappen, many were stunned by the performance of the Dutchman in Sao Paulo, coming from P17 on the grid in the wet conditions to take a masterful victory, all but sealing his fourth consecutive world championship in the process.
As a result, that stunning drive was voted the 'Moment of the Year' at the Autosport Awards, and through a video, Verstappen thanked everyone who voted for him: "Thank you very much to all the readers for voting for me for the moment of the year. The Sunday in Brazil was a very up-and-down rollercoaster of emotions. After qualifying, of course, we were all very upset, but then I think the race was something that I'll never forget," the four-time world champion began.
"As always, Brazil is an amazing venue, but then, of course, when it starts raining, it can get very hectic, and I think, again, as a team, we made the right calls at the right time. We stayed calm, I stayed calm, and to win it from 17th on the grid will be something that I'll remember for a very long time as well in my career. It was also one of my favourite moments, so thank you very much," finished Verstappen.
Lambiase makes revelation about Verstappen
Lambiase, Verstappen's race engineer, accepted the award on behalf of the F1 driver. Along with Verstappen, there were turbulent times for the engineer too due to all the setbacks within the Austrian team: "This race came at a time of year when we were having to work extremely hard for everything that we could manage," he started by saying.
"I don't think Max had won a race since the Spanish Grand Prix earlier that summer. And to say he was slightly aggrieved with the outcome of qualifying on Sunday morning is an understatement. There's plenty of online evidence for that if you don't believe me, but that's not suitable for this evening. But it was amazing for him to pull out a drive such as that," concluded Lambiase.
This article was created in collaboration with Nicole Mulder
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