Max Verstappen F1 News: Red Bull ally admits challenge working with 'stubborn' world champion

Max Verstappen

Red Bull star admits challenge working with 'stubborn' Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen's F1 engineer reveals the one limitation of Red Bull's star driver

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 8 August 2025 20:57

Reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen has been labelled as 'stubborn' by his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.

The pair are no stranger to heated confrontations, with their interactions over Red Bull's team radio often taking place during Verstappen's most tense moments on track.

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The Dutchman has claimed four consecutive drivers' championship victories in recent years, and as he celebrated his 200th race with the team who brought him so much success, a tribute has been released in his honour.

In a video posted to Red Bull's official YouTube channel, Lambiase and fellow allies of the four-time champion described their relationship with the star driver, revealing what makes him tick.

Lambiase, always known as GP, perhaps knows the 27-year-old better than anyone, and admitted that he does have one key weakness, saying: "Max's limitation is stubbornness."

Max Verstappen and Gianpiero Lambiase have had their fair share of heated moments

Verstappen's race engineer on what he REALLY thinks of champion

Lambiase joined Red Bull as a race engineer with Daniil Kvyat in 2015, and when he was replaced by Verstappen midway through the following season, GP remained in the role.

As such, the pair have worked alongside each other throughout not just every one of Verstappen's championship-winning seasons, but also all 200 races of the Dutchman's Red Bull F1 career.

GP went on to explain how Verstappen's 'stubborn' attitude has proved a challenge during their time together, detailing how he has learned to live with his often fiery outbursts.

"He knows best and that is an engineering challenge to try and get yourself under his skin and into his head. I've come to accept that even if at the time he refuses to take in your recommendation, actually he is absorbing it like a sponge and he won't admit it, but he will then go and do what you've asked."

"The team understands what he needs to get the best out of the car. He understands what the team needs in terms of feedback and what he needs to provide for the development of the car, not only for the current car, but for future years. And that that is going to be critical with the changing regulations for next year as well."

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F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Gianpiero Lambiase