On the grid, Max Verstappen is seen alongside Christian Horner.
Christian Horner explained that Max Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero ‘GP’ Lambiase, was not calling the three-time World Champion “childish” directly while on team radio on Sunday, in the aftermath of his tangle with Lewis Hamilton.
As Verstappen attempted to overtake the Mercedes driver, he encountered a double lock-up at Turn 1. This resulted in his rear tyre colliding with Hamilton’s front, causing him to go airborne. As a consequence, Verstappen slipped down to fifth place by the time he reached the checkered flag. This incident also led to yet another candid conversation over the radio between the Red Bull driver and his trusted engineer at the Hungaroring.
Christian Horner clarifies Max Verstappen radio message after Lewis Hamilton collision
Despite numerous complaints to his team about the handling of his car, the strategy he had been following, and other issues, the World Championship leader persevered in his pursuit of the podium, as he continued to chase down Hamilton.
Following a maneuver in Turn 1, the Red Bull driver was propelled into the air and forcefully landed when their wheels collided, resulting in both the driver and engineer expressing their candid opinions about the incident.
Verstappen exclaimed after his tangle with Hamilton: “He moved under braking!”
Lambiase replied, “Max, I refuse to engage in a radio dispute with the other teams. We will allow the stewards to handle the situation. It’s immature to argue over the radio. Immature indeed.”
During the race, as the radio messages from his driver became more tense, Horner was questioned about the characterization of “childish” used by Verstappen’s race engineer. The team principal promptly explained the specific situation he was addressing in order to provide clarity.
“After the race, Horner clarified that when GP mentioned ‘that point,’ he was not specifically referring to Max but rather to the others on the radio who were complaining about penalties.”
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Therefore, it seems that GP’s comment at that moment was not directed towards Max. It is evident that some individuals are intentionally provoking penalties, as the stewards are also monitoring the radio communication.
“They have been a couple for eight years, and although there are areas where we could have performed better in today’s race, it’s a topic we will discuss collectively as a team.”
In the past, Horner has referred to Verstappen and Lambiase as an “old married couple” due to their frequent and candid exchange of opinions in their communications.
But after the disappointment of the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Red Bull team principal said they will have any talks they need to have away from the public eye.
“He said that we can understand Max’s frustration,” he commented.
The engineer and he maintain a direct line of communication, and they will discuss that matter together.
It is evident to me that we require additional improvement in our performance. Every individual is putting in their utmost effort to achieve that, and as a result, any necessary conversations will be held privately.
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