Ferrari Mocked for “Pussyfooting” as Max Verstappen’s Engineer Becomes Poster-Boy for Excellence

Max Verstappen and his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, started working together for the first time when the Dutchman replaced Daniil Kvyat at Red Bull Racing back in 2016. Rarely do we see such a record-breaking driver-engineer combination in the sport, with 52 wins and three world titles in only seven years! A big reason behind their success together has been their ability to get straight to the point, with the pair exchanging some heated moments over the last few races.

But not every driver is as fortunate as the Dutch Lion, especially not Charles Leclerc! Ever since Formula 1 has given fans access to team radios and onboards, one of the most gut-wrenching moments during a race for the Tifosi has been the borderline non-existent communication between Charles Leclerc and his race engineer, Xavier Marcos Padros.

Former Ferrari Manager points out fatal communication flaw within the Scuderia

Most recently, Leclerc almost had a ‘heart attack’ after he qualified on pole at the US GP after Verstappen’s time got deleted for violating track limits. The reason? His race engineer failed to mention it was Verstappen before telling the Monegasque about a track limits violation, which meant Leclerc was confused and distraught until his engineer clarified it was the #33 driver instead.

With Ferrari’s one-worded replies to Charles Leclerc’s dilemmas, the F1 pundit and former Ferrari general manager, Peter Windsor, shared his thoughts on the voice behind Leclerc’s radio, “I don’t want to be personal, I’m sure the engineer on Charles’ car is a really good bloke and he’s trying to do his best job it just seems like they’re just pussyfooting around, rather than just getting on with it. “

Windsor alluded to Ferrari’s double guessing and cautiousness during races, which have failed to give any confidence to the driver who every Tifosi member feels sorry for. However, not all hope is lost for Charles Leclerc according to Windsor, because when we take a look at Verstappen and GP, the correct engineer can make a driver flourish. Windsor then again, “Gianpiero is pretty good with Max, isn’t he? Max says ‘Why are we doing this man?’ and he (GP) says ‘look Max just bare with us, it’ll pay off, Dont worry!’

The British-Italian race engineer says Verstappen is like his ‘younger brother’ and doesn’t shy away from taking the lead when he thinks it’s right. Windsor concluded, “he’s pretty good you know, you gotta be tough to be a race engineer, to speak to Max Verstappen like that. And he knows what he’s talking about that’s absolutely for sure. Good stuff!”

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It looks like the strategy team at Ferrari is having a difficult time, with Pierre Gasly revealing he was shocked to hear from Charles Leclerc before the US GP about Ferrari’s one-stop plan, which ended up in the usual tragedy that the Tifosi have grown numb to. On the other hand, Gianpiero Lambiase and Max Verstappen’s relationship just keeps getting better!

What makes Max Verstappen and his race engineer such a deadly duo?

When it comes to Verstappen and his engineer’s ability to overcome hurdles in their set-up much faster than any other team. GP’s ability to fine-tune the setup according to Verstappen’s liking during sprint race weekends has been unmatched. The two are so keen on giving it their best that their frequent bickering reminds Christian Horner of a married couple!

The Dutch Lion revealed the reason behind their dominant partnership on the Talking Bull podcast, “I think you have to get along well. You have to understand what you want from each other and we have grown into our roles. I hardly have to say anything anymore.” The three-time champion was all praises for the man who helped him even through the tensest moments.

He went on to explain GP’s ability to understand exactly what’s wrong and needs to be changed has helped them massively,  “If I report that I have some understeer or oversteer, Gianpiero immediately knows what he needs to adjust to the car. At the same time, I also know how to drive a car. That does take time. That’s also why I am strongly against changing race engineers because they are crucial to your performance. If you work together longer, the feeling and bonding gets better and stronger.”  – It looks like the key component behind their chemistry has been time, with the bond naturally getting closer over the seasons.

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After taking a look at Verstappen’s record-breaking win rate this season, it’s safe to say that the relationship between Max Verstappen and Gianpiero Lambiase is headed to the driver-engineer hall of fame, if there is one! On the other hand, if Charles Leclerc and his race engineer need some guidance, they should look no further than Milton Keynes’ Garage No.1 in the pitlane!