‘Don’t take that personal ‘ – Untelevised Max Verstappen, Lambiase team radio exchange emerges
Max Verstappen and GianPiero Lambiase in converstaion in the Red Bull garage at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix
Untelevised team radio footage from the Belgian Grand Prix has revealed the moment Max Verstappen told Red Bull race engineer GianPiero Lambiase not to take a comment personally.
It comes after another frustrating race for the four-time world champion despite recording a third podium finish of the F1 2026 season at Spa.
Max Verstappen over team radio to GianPiero Lambiase: ‘Don’t take that personal’
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Verstappen finished an impressive third at the Belgian Grand Prix, adding to his previous podium finishes in Canada and Austria.
However, the Red Bull driver’s afternoon was beset by frustrations with energy management and tyres, with Verstappen heard describing the situation as “f**king painful” at one stage.
After starting second, Verstappen took the lead on the downhill approach to Eau Rouge on the opening lap before losing two positions to Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc on the run to Les Combes.
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Verstappen was heard raising the issue over team radio on the opening lap. The full exchange between Verstappen and Lambiase went as follows:
Verstappen: “Guys, the deployment is completely wrong from Turn 1 to 4. They deploy a lot more after.”
Lambiase: “Yeah, understood Max.”
Another complaint came behind the safety car following Lewis Hamilton’s tangle with George Russell, with Verstappen frustrated with his battery charging on Lap 3.
Verstappen: “Guys, I’m not sure my battery is charging in time. It’s not correct.”
Lambiase: “I believe that’s on plan, Max.”
Verstappen: “Uh, we’ll see. But it’s not charging where I want it to be full.”
Lambiase: “But when we eventually get going, as soon as you go slow off, it will charge itself.”
Ahead of the restart at the end of Lap 4, Verstappen clarified that he was not criticising Lambiase personally when he became frustrated.
Lambiase: “Max, I think from Turn 17 you can go slow off.”
Verstappen: “Just no race understanding!”
Verstappen: “Don’t take that personal, of course.”
Clipping into La Source was also proving troublesome for Verstappen on Lap 8, with the Red Bull harvesting power into the first corner before deploying energy on the long blast to Les Combes.
Verstappen: “Ah, this clip into Turn 1 is horrendous.”
Lambiase: “Copy. Leclerc has the same but I can see Antonelli does not.”
On Lap 11, Lambiase explained that Verstappen was sacrificing some speed through Stavelot in favour of having the highest top speed on the approach to the Bus Stop chicane.
Lambiase: “Max, info: you are saving the most in 15 but you then do have the highest speed approaching Turn 18.”
Verstappen also reported that a trick on the brakes had little success on Lap 13.
Verstappen: “I try to [inaudible] brake the car into the corner but it’s not working.”
Lambiase: “Understood.”
On Lap 18, Verstappen complained of lag from the engine, as well as pointing to an issue with gearshifts.
Verstappen: “I had again [inaudible] lag, mate. Please let me know what I can do because I was already in a high gear, high RPM.”
Verstappen: “Uh, shifts awful. Pretty awful. Down and up.”
Lambiase: “OK, standby.”
Lambiase: “Display three, position four.”
Verstappen was angered by the delay under virtual safety car conditions on Lap 20, reporting that he once again had an issue with the battery recharging as the race returned to green.
Lambiase: “VSC again, Dash positive.”
Lambiase: “Marshals on track at Turn 15. Again, this is just for debris.”
Verstappen: “What the f**k are they waiting for?”
Lambiase: “OK, VSC ending.”
Verstappen: “Battery feels, like, flat again in the restart.”
Lambiase: “I know, Max. I know.”
Verstappen: “It’s f**cking painful, honestly.”
On Lap 22, Verstappen likened his struggles with the tyres to the recent British Grand Prix, where he was unhappy with the RB22 throughout the weekend.
Verstappen: “Yeah, again no front bite. Do you want me to just push or you want me to try and save?”
Lambiase: “I don’t think you’ll be able to save with Piastri behind you, Max.”
Lambiase: “And if anything, front tyres actually look cold. Front tyres are cold, so we need to pick up the pace to try and generate some temperature.”
Verstappen: “I’m afraid it’s just Silverstone all over again.”
Lambiase: “And Max, we can reduce tyre management Turn 15. Although be aware: it does mean you’ll be slower through Blanchimont.”
Verstappen: “Yeah, but that’s not the problem. The tyres just have no grip.”
Lambiase: “Yeah, copy. I will check it in another two or three laps. See if it’s generated some temperature.”
The situation had not improved five laps later.
Verstappen: “Yeah, tyres don’t work.”
Lambiase: “Copy, Max.”
The clipping issue at La Source was still bothering Verstappen on Lap 28 as he asked Red Bull if the situation could be improved.
Verstappen: “This clip to Turn 1, is there something that we can do about it?”
Lambiase: “Negative on that clip to Turn 1, Max. Give up a little bit more on the entry to Turn 1 if you can, focus on the exit.”
Red Bull appeared to be working out how to optimise deployment as the race developed, with Lambiase requesting adjustments on Laps 32 and 33.
Lambiase: “So can we have a half step towards reducing management, Turn 15.”
Lambiase: “Max, can we have a look at mode nine, please? Mode nine.”
Lambiase went on to report on Lap 39 that Verstappen’s reduced management at Turn 15 was resulting in more deployment on the Kemmel straight.
Lambiase: “Max, try standard throttle application please, 15.”
Verstappen: “Let me know what is best.”
Lambiase: “Looked lap time neutral to me. Maybe something in between?”
Lambiase: “Just looking at this, Max. It seems to affect our deployment down to Turn 5 in a good way, so maybe the reduced management Turn 15 is helping Sector 1 as well.”
Verstappen: “Well, I mean, I try to [inaudible] people watching the f**cking laptop, so tell me.”
Lambiase: “Yeah, I think the lap time speaks for itself. No management Turn 15.”
After crossing the line in third, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies came on the airwaves to thank Verstappen “for bearing with us”, vowing that Red Bull has “more coming” to compete at the front.
Lambiase: “Strat six please, Max. Nice work.”
Verstappen: “Yeah. Good job, guys. I mean, it’s a nice podium. A bit unlucky with that VSC, but still a good result.”
Mekies: “Well done, Max. The pace is getting better. You were very strong, as you say. Unlucky for P2, but it’s close enough to the top and we have more coming. So thanks for bearing with us.”
Verstappen: “Yeah, exactly that. It’s a tiny bit unlucky, but it’s still a good podium.”
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