When Gianpiero Lambiase privately admitted Max Verstappen made him ‘look like an idiot’ after orders

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Gianpiero Lambiase and Max Verstappen have one of the best bonds between driver and engineer ever seen in Formula 1.

Fans love the friendship that the two share, and their chemistry on and off the track is undeniable. Red Bull picked the perfect pairing.

Lambiase was in tears after they missed out on winning a fifth consecutive drivers’ championship at the 2025 season finale.

Despite giving his all, Verstappen fell just two points shy of the feat, which would have seen him match a record set by Michael Schumacher between 2000 and 2004 for successive crowns.

Fill in the gap: Max Verstappen will finish his F1 career with _____ titles

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Verstappen is the undisputed number one driver, according to Karun Chandhok. It’s why any team on the grid would love to have him in their cockpit.

Even though they waited to make a decision, Red Bull might have ‘poisoned’ Verstappen’s title charge by making an announcement before the final race. It was a distraction from the most important cause.

READ MORE: Helmut Marko left really annoyed by his final talk with Max Verstappen before Red Bull exit

Max Verstappen ignored Gianpiero Lambiase and made him ‘look like an idiot’

Verstappen keeps improving behind the scenes and now prepares for events like his life depends on them. Sim-racing, training, and other things. He pours a lot into his career.

But, Verstappen would find it ‘very difficult to accept’ missing Lambiase at races. He is usually his main port of call. Rumours that he might be shifted to a new role have circulated recently.

Since then, there has been confirmation that he should remain alongside the Dutchman next year, but there was once a time that Verstappen made him ‘look like an idiot’, after ignoring team orders.

“Brazilian Grand Prix [2022], when you’re fighting for the runner-up spot [Sergio Perez] against Leclerc. Then they suddenly tell Max, you have [the championship], you can let it [the position] go,” said journalist Chacho Lopez at the EXMA 2025 conference.

“He is fighting for [second in] the championship. He said, ‘No, I’m not going to let it go. We already talked about this between ourselves, and that’s the end of it.’ It was the most logical thing that could happen, because you had helped him, and then you helped him even more.

“I went to the pits afterwards. I was at that race, fortunately. I even saw Gianpiero Lambiase, who was furious, and told your mechanics, ‘He makes me look like an idiot because he doesn’t obey me.’ He was very angry.”

READ MORE: Helmut Marko shares why leaving Red Bull is a ‘relief’ after Max Verstappen lost 2025 F1 title fight

Why keeping Gianpiero Lambiase could be crucial for Max Verstappen in 2025

The importance of Verstappen’s bond with Lambiase cannot be underestimated. The Dutchman is about to head into a new era of racing, and keeping as much stability as possible will be vital.

He’s already going to have to learn a new car and power unit next year, which would be enough of a challenge without having to worry about who he will be working with.

Lambiase offers a familiar and soothing face for Verstappen. Their chemistry will be a big reason why they win, if they can do well early on in the campaign.

They know each other’s habits and ways of working, and Lambiase knows what he likes from a car. If anyone can help him get there quickly, it’s probably him.