Lambiase: Engineer needs to be subservient to driver at one point

Lambiase is the voice of reason that usually we hear over Verstappen's radio during F1 weekends, and the pair, who have worked together for a long time at Red Bull, have offered some spicy moments over the course of their partnership.

And while Lambiase has been firm with Verstappen quite some times, especially when the Dutchman is having a red mist moment, he admitted that sometimes he needs to back down for his driver.

Lambiase said: "It's something you need to be innately aware of when you are communicating with a driver that's traveling at 300 kph+ in a very high-pressure environment like that.

"Whilst we are a duo, I think you need to realize that the engineer needs to be subservient to the driver at that point," he maintained. "It's pointless rising to the occasion or anything like that because you'll just end up in a spiral downwards very, very quickly."

Verstappen won the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix after a masterful drive in the rain and against all the odds and an engine-related grid penalty which meant he started from 17th on the grid following a disastrous qualifying that saw him get eliminated in Q2.

With title rival Lando Norris starting on pole, Verstappen faced an uphill task on a chaotic F1 weekend in Brazil.

"It was really a case for us of damage limitation at that point," Lambiase reflected on Brazil. "Obviously, there's always opportunity with wet weather; with Max in the car, anything is possible.

“He was making very quick progress through the beginning of the race. We could tell that the gap to the leaders wasn't really growing. If anything, he was starting to chip away, and I knew he had the pace, which was positive at the time.

“I think it was just really a case of making the right calls at the right time, Max, doing the right things, and keeping the car on the tarmac.

“Then there was one pivotal moment in the race when ultimately he stayed out on track on intermediates whilst the two leaders [Norris and George Russell] pitted for a fresh set, which gave him track position.

"Once he was behind Esteban [Ocon] at the restart, I guess I knew that the race win was on the cards, and that really was a pivotal moment in the world championship battle," the Red Bull race engineer recalled.

While Norris and Russell buckled under the pressure, Verstappen kept a cool head and stayed out, benefitting from a Red Flag that meant he could get a free tyre change.

"I hope it didn't come across as frantic," Lambiase went on. “With the conditions that they were on track, it didn't feel like the intermediates were wearing necessarily; we weren't overheating them as such. We had evidence to suggest that the tyres were still in good condition.

“It really was about making sure that we can just keep circulating and we don't venture off track. So the decision for us really was, I want to say, quite straightforward in terms of pitting for a fresh set of inters; that wasn't really ever on the cards.

"We were a little bit surprised when the two leaders gave up the track position to do so. So for us, I won't say it was calm, but it was where we followed our processes and ultimately came out on top," Lambiase concluded.

Verstappen's win in Brazil was a major blow to Norris, who was flabbergasted after the race, claiming the Red Bull ace got lucky, only to retract his statement later on.

Verstappen ended up securing his fourth F1 title one race later at the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, where he finished fifth while Norris was sixth.