Max Verstappen suffers F1 radio mishap after Red Bull blunder at Mexican GP

Max Verstappen in Monza — Photo: © IMAGO

Mexican Grand Prix

Max Verstappen suffers radio mishap after Red Bull blunder at Mexican GP

Max Verstappen was caught in an awkward exchange

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Sunday 26 October 2025 22:20

Max Verstappen's F1 race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase was caught in an awkward blunder during the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Mexican GP got off to a chaotic start with Lando Norris, both Ferraris and Max Verstappen going four wide into Turn 1, only for the Dutchman to go deep and cut the corner.

On lap six, Verstappen and Hamilton were involved in a tangle, that saw the Brit go off the track and gain an advantage at Turn 4, and was awarded a 10-second time penalty.

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When the race had settled, Verstappen's camp back at the Red Bull garage began to deliberate on preferred strategy where Lambiase took to team radio to ask: “What we doing? Staying out Max,” but then continued to discuss the Dutchman’s race strategy without realising Verstappen could hear every word.

Lambiase continued: “Yep so, are we on a one stop or a two stop at the moment? Right, ok…” with the response in the Red Bull garage not heard over his microphone.

Once Lambiase had finished discussing Verstappen’s strategy, the champion chimed in on the uncertainty and said: “I can hear everything!”

Verstappen unearths Red Bull strategy blunder

Bernie Collins then confirmed on Sky Sports F1's broadcast that Lambiase's error would likely have been that he pressed the button to talk to Verstappen without meaning to.

The pundit also added that it was less than desirable for a driver to hear their team so unsure on strategy.

While Lambiase and Verstappen's exchange wins the award for the most awkward team radio of the grand prix, then George Russell and race engineer Marcus Dudley's will go down as the most dramatic.

Russell delivered a series of increasingly frustrated team radio messages after Dudley refused to initiate a team swap between the Brit and Kimi Antonelli.

However, Russell soon fell into the clutches of Oscar Piastri and when he was instructed to watch the temperatures of his tyres, he let out a furious rant.

"Marcus I've got an ****ing car in my ****. A car much quicker than ours," he cried.

"I'm trying to hold position. I've got much more pace than Kimi here and we can fight for a podium.

"I'm happy to give the position back if we don't achieve it."

Mexican Grand Prix