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Max Verstappen makes Red Bull U-TURN after fiery team talks

The Dutchman is known for having a short temper

Kevin McKenna

Monday 18 August 2025 21:12 Updated: 21:18

Reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen has has made a U-turn on his approach at Red Bull following a series of heated team talks.

The Dutchman has built up a reputation as one of the sport's fiercest competitors, with his drive to win at all costs putting him firmly amongst the F1 greats.

More often than not, his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase has been on the receiving end of the driver's frustration over team radio, with the 44-year-old forced to keep his cool under huge pressure.

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There were no shortage of fiery exchanges between the pair last season, including at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Verstappen launched an astonishing X-rated tirade having been furious with the team's strategy decisions.

But he has tried to take a different approach amid his struggles throughout 2025, realising that shouting won't always have the desired effect.

The Dutchman told The Athletic: "If I’m getting upset with things, and they hear me being upset with things, it also does something with them, because they’re like, ‘Oh, Max is angry, we cannot approach him,’ or they start to also be a bit tense.

"And you have to try and be motivating, supporting, which is not always easy when you have been dominating as a team and then you’re dropping back a bit."

Race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase has taken the brunt of Max Verstappen's anger

Verstappen claims 'honesty' key to Red Bull progress

Despite his concerted effort to tone things down, Verstappen also knows that a frank exchange of views will be required from time to time if both he and the team are to improve.

"If you can’t be honest to each other or critical, then it’s not going to work," he added. "I think it’s important that you can handle criticism even in the toughest of times.”

Barring a disastrous collapse by either one of McLaren duo Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris, Verstappen will be forced to hand over his F1 drivers' crown this season.

The four-time champion - who recently ended speculation over his immediate Red Bull future - currently occupies third spot in the standings going in to the final 10 races of the campaign, but has won just twice thus far.

He is at least enjoying life away from the track after becoming a father to baby Lily earlier this year, with the 27-year-old admitting that his priorities have now shifted to value his precious family life.

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