Gianpiero Lambiase lifts the lid on managing Verstappen under pressure
Max Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase has offered a vivid analogy for what it is like guiding the world champion through the chaos of a Grand Prix: “You’re on a boat down a river, and you’re surrounded by a whole load of crocodiles.” The priority, he says, is always the “closest crocodile” — the most immediate problem — and doing what is right for the team and driver in that moment.
The Verstappen–Lambiase partnership, forged in 2016, has become one of Formula 1’s most iconic driver–engineer pairings, renowned for robust radio exchanges and ruthless clarity. Lambiase stresses that honesty — not flattery — is the currency that keeps the relationship strong.
What Verstappen expects from the pit wall
- Straight talk: “He’s very straightforward, blunt and honest, but he expects that similar level of treatment back.”
- No yes‑men: “If you try to pander to him, wrap him in cotton wool, and try to be his best mate and be that yes‑man, you will lose him within months.”
- Total support: In the cockpit and over the radio, Lambiase is at once a “dad, a sports psychologist, best friend, worst enemy — everything.”
For Lambiase, second‑guessing how messages might sound from the outside is a trap: “If you start being concerned about what you’re saying, then I think you’re lost in showbiz.” The goal remains simple — cut through the noise, tame the “crocodiles,” and keep Verstappen’s race on track.
