Red Bull star reveals truth behind relationship with 'villain' Max Verstappen

A Red Bull F1 insider has opened up on his relationship with four-time world champion Max Verstappen, who he said has often been portrayed as a 'villain' in the sport.

Verstappen cemented his legacy as an F1 legend during a hugely dominant period between 2021-2024, when he claimed four consecutive world championship titles.

During that time, the Dutchman also broke a plethora of long-standing F1 records, particularly during a stunning 2023 season, when he won 19 of a possible 22 grands prix.

Despite all of this success, however, Verstappen has also been called out by a number of his rivals for criticism over his driving style, with 2021 and 2024 in particular seeing multiple incidents with title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris respectively.

That has carried on into 2025 despite the fact he is out of championship-winning contention, with Verstappen being penalised earlier this year for appearing to intentionally crash into George Russell's Mercedes.

Verstappen's 'villain' persona during race weekends has now been elaborated on by his race engineer and close ally Gianpiero Lambiase.

Lambiase spoke highly of his relationship with the four-time champion in a special video posted to Red Bull's YouTube channel celebrating Verstappen's 200th grand prix weekend with the team.

"You know, here at the track, Max, he's portrayed as the villain of the paddock, but away from the track, he is the complete opposite," Lambiase said.

"He's the most sincere, gentle giant and a very likeable character. I consider him a top friend."

Is Verstappen staying at Red Bull?

Verstappen has confirmed that he will be staying with the Milton Keynes-based outfit for the 2026 season.

That is despite the team only having provided him with a car capable of winning two of the first 14 races of the season, and he is already 97 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri.

2026 is set to be a huge year for all teams, but especially Red Bull. Wholesale regulation changes are coming, which could allow for a mix-up in the competitive order in the sport, and Red Bull are beginning a new era of power unit production in partnership with Ford, having ended their contract with Honda.

On top of this, Red Bull have a new team principal in Laurent Mekies, with Christian Horner having been sacked after 20 years in the job last month.

Red Bull will need to prove to Verstappen that they can build him a championship-challenging car once more when the new regulations arrive, or the Dutchman will likely look to try and secure a drive elsewhere for the 2027 season.

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