A driver’s relationship with his Race Engineer is often very special and passionate. Not romanticizing anything but just look at Lewis Hamilton and Bono. The two have given us some iconic radio messages over the years. A race engineer is the only point of contact for a driver during a race when adrenaline is flowing. Max Verstappen had a fiery moment with GP. However, he defends the outburst and showcases the elite mentality. What did the championship leader say?
Max Verstappen’s dominance is unparalleled this year. The Dutchman seems to be winning everything. A weekend where Maximum points aren’t grabbed would seem like a failure for Max Verstappen. Such is his dominance at the moment. Max Verstappen during the Belgium GP had a heated exchange of words with his Race Engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase.
Max Verstappen barely made it into Q3 finishing P10 in Q2. The Dutchman was quick to go on the radio and accused his race engineer of bad execution of the run as the duo went back and forth. However, Verstappen recently explained he always wants to improve and do better every weekend. The 25-year-old advised that’s what he is like and expects from people around him.
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According to F1Maximaal.nl, Max Verstappen said, “You’re always trying to get better. Every weekend there are things that you think: Ah, we could have done that better. Then you try to do that better next weekend. That’s how I grew up, and that’s how I always worked. I demand that from myself, and from the people around me, so as far as I’m concerned that’s quite normal.” [Translated Via Google]
This suggests that Verstappen’s outburst on GP was just because he wanted to do better. It also goes on to show the elite mentality that Verstappen behold. The Dutchman would leave anything on the table. Lewis Hamilton recently warned Verstappen that winning by such a huge margin sometimes feels empty. Verstappen responded to his dominance with the same elite mentality.
Max Verstappen doesn’t find winning easy to be boring
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Hamilton suggested that he find battling for the win to be a lot more interesting as he warned Verstappen about the empty feeling. Max Verstappen, however, like a true champion, suggested that it isn’t winning easily that is boring for him but the feeling of knowing that one cannot win. He added that he was here to win.
According to Formula1.com, Max Verstappen told F1 presenter Lawrence Barretto in a chat at Spa-Francorchamps, “That [Winning easily] actually doesn’t make it boring. That’s why I’m here. I want to be here. I want to win. To be upfront. It’s what makes it a lot more enjoyable to come to a race weekend. Knowing that you can’t win, you have no chance–that’s boring for me. This is the opposite.”
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Watch this Story: Will Max Verstappen Retire Early from F1?
What do you think about Max Verstappen’s Elite Mentality?