Verstappen F1 engineer reveals 'biggest fear' with world champion

Edward Hardy
Friday 10 November 2023 09:12

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen might have produced a dominant display so far this year but his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, has revealed the team’s growing frustration in recent weeks.

Despite breaking countless records on his way to a third world title, Verstappen has found his rivals have begun to catch him towards the end of the 2023 season.

Verstappen has suffered a number of blows in recent races, with Carlos Sainz taking victory in Singapore, Oscar Piastri winning the Sprint in Qatar and Charles Leclerc taking back-to-back poles in Mexico and the United States.

Speaking on the Talking Bulls podcast, Verstappen and Lambiase opened up on the season and their setbacks in recent weeks.

READ MORE: Verstappen's F1 achievements are 'not difficult', former world champion claims

"At the end of the day, it's a whole team effort. This year the car has been incredible to drive and fairly dominant. I tried to extract the most out of it," Verstappen said.

When asked if he has ever gotten bored this year, Verstappen responded: “Not winning. This motivates me every single day to come back here at the factory to prepare for the next races. It’s the best feeling out there. So for me, it's not boring at all.

"This year, the car has been incredible to drive and fairly dominant. I tried to extract the most out of it."

However, as rival teams like McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes catch up, Lambiase expressed his apprehension about a potential shift in Verstappen’s mindset.

"My biggest fear is the moment that we do have increased competition and we're not winning every race," Lambiase admitted.

"Because, you see how he's treating me at the moment and he's winning every race! I'm really not looking forward to it."

Lambiase’s fears almost came true at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix when McLaren’s Lando Norris got close to taking the lead from Verstappen at one stage.

With Formula 1 heading back to America next for the much anticipated Las Vegas Grand Prix, the Dutchman could be in for another fight.

Especially as Verstappen recently admitted he has struggled with learning the track layout.

READ MORE: Verstappen's F1 achievements are 'not difficult', former world champion claims

"The last time I tried it on the F1 game, I think I hit more walls than I was going straight,” Verstappen said after his win in Brazil. “So, let's hope that's not the case when I start driving there!”

Another challenge could also be the track temperatures, with the forecast set to be as low as 10 degrees Celsius when the cars hit the street circuit.

"It's going to be very different to here, very low temperatures, of course in the night there," Verstappen said. "It's a street circuit, we have no experience there, we don't know the track grip.

"All new - so maybe it will give you a few surprises. I don't know," he added.