What Max Verstappen told Gianpiero Lambiase in 30-minute talks after Red Bull spat

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Max Verstappen has had to respond to criticism about his conduct at the Belgian Grand Prix. This comes after perhaps his poorest display of the season so far in Hungary.

Verstappen finished fifth in Budapest – matching his second-worst result of 2024 (Austria). He had a tyre advantage against Lewis Hamilton in the battle for third, but he couldn’t execute a clean overtake.

He would attempt a late lunge into turn one in the closing stages of the race, but he locked both front tyres and launched over the front right on the Mercedes. While he avoided a penalty for the incident, he did lose a place to Charles Leclerc.

More significantly, Verstappen quarrelled with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase throughout the race. He was unhappy with the handling of his car and more so with the Red Bull strategy, which prioritised fresher tyres over track position.

Verstappen and Lambiase were involved in multiple tense exchanges, forcing them to hold clear-the-air talks ahead of the race at Spa. Martin Brundle called for the Red Bull superstar to express his grievances behind closed doors in future.

Some have put his out-of-sorts display down to a sim-racing appearance in the early hours of the morning. One report claimed that executive director Helmut Marko had banned Verstappen from taking part in such events during F1 weekends, but the 26-year-old has denied this.

Max Verstappen tells Gianpiero Lambiase that criticism isn’t personal

According to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, it was team principal Christian Horner who insisted that Verstappen and Lambiase sit down and review the events of last weekend. Technical director Pierre Wache was also present for the conversation on Thursday night.

It apparently lasted around half an hour, with Verstappen largely reiterating what he’d said to the press. It wasn’t a case of backtracking.

He assured Lambiase and Wache that they shouldn’t take his criticism personally, but he intends to continue being open and honest in the media. He also stressed that he’s under no illusions as to their commitment.

Verstappen is looking to win his fourth consecutive title this year. Only four drivers in the history of the sport have ever achieved this – Juan Manuel Fangio (1954-57), Michael Schumacher (2000-05), Sebastian Vettel (2010-13) and Hamilton (2017-20).

What Max Verstappen said about Lando Norris title chances in unreleased interview

Some may be surprised by the intensity of Verstappen’s criticism given the commanding advantage he enjoys at the top of the standings. He remained 76 points clear of Lando Norris even after a disappointing race.

But speaking to F1TV journalist Will Buxton in an interview that won’t be released until Sunday, Verstappen was ‘adamant’ that Norris could win the title. He sees the threat as ‘very, very real’.

This weekend could be a damage limitation exercise for Red Bull after Verstappen received a 10-place grid penalty for taking his fifth ICE of the season. He’s won from a midfield starting berth at Spa before, but his rivals are much stronger this time around.

Norris will cut the gap by at least six points if he wins. He’s looking to emulate Kimi Raikkonen, who overturned a comparable deficit in 2007.