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Friendships, especially between the drivers, are far and few in the world of F1. On the other hand, a team needs perfect harmony to function. Perhaps not between the drivers but every individual assigned to one driver. Currently, even if may not look from the outside looking in, Red Bull is working in perfect harmony and firing on all cylinders. The trackside engineer of Max Verstappen proved it as well. Gianpiero Lambiase (GP) and Verstappen have been working closely together since 2016. The Italian engineer has seen Verstappen grow up and become a world champion in front of him. What’s incredible though is how invested GP is in Verstappen and an unrelated incident showcased that.

GP remembers even the most minor details from Verstappen’s rookie season. The 2023 Singapore GP’s FP1 incident showcased that. When Verstappen reported that, “there’s a lizard on the track.” Lambiase took the instantly replied, “Understood. Maybe Godzilla had a kid. At first, it seems part of GP and Verstappen’s ongoing love-hate banter.

However, let us jog your memories and/or bring to your attention an incident from the 2016 Singapore GP.

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Back in 2016 as well, Verstappen encountered a monitor lizard on the Marina Bay Street Circuit. The Dutchman, while reporting the lizard on the radio, called it Godzilla because of its massive structure.

History repeated itself in 2023 and GP took full advantage of the situation and made a hilarious joke most would’ve overlooked. Well played GP, well played! Or the Italian engineer just wanted to poke a little fun at his partner in crime for being such a menace.

Max Verstappen channels his Sebastian Vettel by being a menace to Red Bull

The Dutchman has been on a different level since the start of the 2023 season. Continuing his from the 2022 season, Verstappen has won the majority of the race in the current campaign which has given him immense confidence. Reveling in this confidence, Verstappen has become a menace to Red Bull.

Despite multiple warnings from Lambiase and being at risk of a penalty during the Spanish GP, the Dutchman grabbed the fastest lap of the race. His radio exchange conversation with GP showcased how he was an absolute menace.

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The conversation went something like this;

Lambiase: “Like I said you’ve been given a black-and-white flag so we cannot afford to risk anything.”

Verstappen: *proceeds to set the fastest lap in the following lap*

Lambiase: “Okay now can you bring it home within the white lines.”

Verstappen: “Yeah yeah”

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However, this exchange between the two was amusing to the fans as most pointed out how Sebastian Vettel was the same during his Red Bull days. One fan even tweeted, “I remember Seb used to do the same during his Red Bull days used to dominate the field.”

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The fans love this relationship between the two which even gets a bit fiery from time to time. However, the end goal is the same for the two and this is why they make for such a formidable partnership.

WATCH THIS STORY | Max Verstappen’s Chaos Continues: Disqualified for Revenge, Triggers Chaos in Sim Race

Written by

Mahim Suhalka

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One take at a time

Mahim Suhalka is a senior F1 Author at EssentiallySports. Having written over 1000 articles, Mahim specializes in core sports coverage. Having followed the sport for a long time, his articles contain excellent analysis of the sport and he dives deeper into the technicalities of this complex sport.
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Edited by

Aishwary Gaonkar