Max Verstappen F1 misery deepens as Gianpiero Lambiase advice falls flat: 'Mate, this doesn't really help'

Max Verstappen, Gianpiero Lambiase, Red Bull, Bahrain, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

Japanese Grand Prix

Max Verstappen misery deepens as Gianpiero Lambiase advice falls flat: 'Mate, this doesn't really help'

Not even GP could give Verstappen a confidence boost in Japan

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 30 March 2026 20:54

For Max Verstappen, even his F1 ally and race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase couldn't buck up his spirits in 2026.

The four-time champion once again had a difficult weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix, where he only managed to finish eighth and behind the Alpine of Pierre Gasly.

Red Bull is facing serious challenges with their RB22, having to contend with balance issues in China while the car at Suzuka showed fundamental problems that hadn't been resolved, despite unveiling upgrades.

Article continues under video

During Sunday's race, Verstappen engaged in a fierce duel with Pierre Gasly in the latter stages of the grand prix, but his former team-mate managed to hold the Dutchman at bay. Although Verstappen was right on the Alpine’s tail, attempting an overtake proved fruitless as he repeatedly lost momentum on the straight.

F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen at breaking point as journalists demand FIA action

Lambiase tries to buck up Verstappen

Lambiase tried to inject some motivation during the race, noting that midway through, Verstappen had set faster lap times than Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and George Russell.

Verstappen was unimpressed however, remarking, "Well, Alpine is incredibly fast anyway."

Lambiase tried to maintain a positive outlook and responded: "I believe you’re two or three tenths of a second ahead, though I get that it’s hard to close the gap."

Verstappen wasn’t convinced, and replied: "That's a bit easy from the pit wall. Mate, this doesn't really help."

F1 RESULTS: Japanese GP times & positions

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Japanese Grand Prix Gianpiero Lambiase