Red Bull chief gives honest verdict on Max Verstappen's latest X-rated rant

29 July 2023 , 15:26

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Verstappen and race engineer Lambiase argued over the radio (Image: Getty Images)

Helmut Marko likened the argument between Max Verstappen and his race engineer to a discussion between an "old married couple".

The Red Bull racer was furious in qualifying for Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix. He scraped through to Q3 by the skin of his teeth, going only 10th fastest in the middle part of the session.

And he made sure to voice his frustration about it. "I should have just f***ing pushed two laps in a row, like I said," he shouted over the radio, angry at his team's strategy.

Race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase reminded him that he had still made it through to Q3 safely, but that was not enough to placate Verstappen. He retorted: "Yeah mate, but I don't give a f*** if I'm through in P10. It's s*** execution."

Lambiase was happy to give a sassy response of his own, replying: "Okay then, when the track was two seconds quicker for your final lap and you didn't have any energy left, how would that have gone down?"

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Asked about it after the session, long-serving Red Bull adviser Marko dismissed the tiff as nothing of consequence. "In Q2 there was a thing between Max and his race engineer, there were different opinions as to when, who, where, and how should drive out," he told Sky Germany.

"The two are like an old married couple, there's an argument sometimes. But both have calmed down again, all is well. That's Max when he's under pressure or when he doesn't perform as he could, because he always wants the maximum. That's one of the traits that makes him so incredibly competitive.

Helmut Marko dismissed the argument as an "old married couple's" tiff (Getty Images)

"I think he was the best in all three sectors. He had one mistake in turn nine and his first corner was not optimal once as well. But he registers that and Max only makes those mistakes once. When the pressure is on, he delivers."

Indeed, Verstappen had regained his composure by the end of the session. He made the most of his reprieve in Q2 to go fastest the final part of qualifying, limiting the damage done by his five-place grid penalty for using an extra gearbox beyond his annual allowance.

And he was much more relaxed as he jumped back onto the radio to apologise to Lambiase for his outburst. "Sorry to GP for being so... on the rant," he said.

Daniel Moxon