Formula 1
How a Vettel decision led to Verstappen's "old married couple" F1 engineer dynamic
Christian Horner has revealed how an interview conducted by Red Bull’s former Formula 1 star Sebastian Vettel eventually led to the successful engineering partnership between Max Verstappen and Gianpiero Lambiase.
Alex Kalinauckas
Edited: Jun 29, 2023, 10:29 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
With Verstappen dominating the current era, F1 viewers regularly listen into the in-race conversations between the Dutchman and his engineer.
But even before Red Bull’s current wave of success increased coverage of their team radio exchanges, Lambiase had forged a reputation for keeping Verstappen in check with a no-nonsense demeanour his driver responded to positively – even teasing back as the final laps of their shock 70th Anniversary triumph played out at Silverstone in 2020.
Lambiase joined Red Bull in 2015 have previously been a race engineer to Paul di Resta and then Sergio Perez at what was then called Force India (he started out in F1 working for the team’s previous iteration as Jordan in 2005) and has been Red Bull’s head of race engineer since last summer.
In an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com, Horner explained how Vettel – then engineered by Guillaume Rocquelin, better known as ‘Rocky’ after his own radio exchanges with the German a decade ago gained fame – had taken a key role in ensuring Lambiase signed for Red Bull.
“GP has grown a huge amount,” Horner said of Lambiase. “GP originally came as a replacement to Rocky, who was stepping up into the role as head of race engineering – the role that GP effectively has now.
“And he went through a gruelling process that included being interviewed at length by Sebastian to become Rocky’s successor [as Vettel’s race engineer].
Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing talks with his engineer Guillaume Rocquelin on the grid
Photo by: Andre Vor / Sutton Images
“And he committed to join the team and shortly afterwards Sebastian buggered off to Ferrari! So, he came to engineer Sebastian Vettel and got Daniil Kvyat.
“Who he did a great job with and then obviously when Max stepped up and into the main seat, the two of them built a bond very quickly and it’s been hugely successful.”
Horner says Red Bull has “absolutely” empowered Lambiase to be forceful with Verstappen when required in what he calls a “brutally honest” dynamic.
“It’s his job, he’s the interface with the driver on the track,” added Horner. “Max is a strong character to deal with and GP is equally as feisty.
“So, sometimes they’re like an old married couple arguing about what channel to watch on the TV, but there’s a real respect and a trust and a relationship between the two of them.”
Read Also:
- Red Bull: F1 rivals would love to see us fall flat on our face
- How Newey's influence is felt in more than car design at Red Bull
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Aston Martin: Closing Red Bull F1 DRS gap an "area of focus"
Next article How Haas broke F1’s new team curse
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Alex Kalinauckas
Who is Kimi Antonelli, F1 sprint polesitter at just 18?
Formula 1
Formula 1
Who is Kimi Antonelli, F1 sprint polesitter at just 18?
Why Bottas has the edge over Perez in 2026 F1 return race
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Why Bottas has the edge over Perez in 2026 F1 return race
What if Red Bull solved its second-car problem with a paint job?
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
What if Red Bull solved its second-car problem with a paint job?
More from
Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel gives update on F1 future as he opens up on life after retirement
Formula 1
Formula 1
Azerbaijan GP
Sebastian Vettel gives update on F1 future as he opens up on life after retirement
Sebastian Vettel: F1 must combine “things we love” with sustainable future
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sebastian Vettel: F1 must combine “things we love” with sustainable future
More from
Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen pinpoints two recurring Red Bull problems: "We should use sign language!"
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
8 h
Max Verstappen pinpoints two recurring Red Bull problems: "We should use sign language!"
Max Verstappen puzzled by Q3 grip loss, but Austin shows how far Red Bull has progressed
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Max Verstappen puzzled by Q3 grip loss, but Austin shows how far Red Bull has progressed
Latest news
Ducati: Aprilia got “unlucky” in Australian GP, can win every race from now
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Australian GP
13 min
Ducati: Aprilia got “unlucky” in Australian GP, can win every race from now
Why Monza win from 19th still isn't the best of Kimi Antonelli's dominant F1 2026 season
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
1 h
Why Monza win from 19th still isn't the best of Kimi Antonelli's dominant F1 2026 season
What happened to Austin Hill at the end of Talladega NASCAR Cup race?
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
2 h
What happened to Austin Hill at the end of Talladega NASCAR Cup race?
Sesks tight-lipped on WRC future after ERC season finale triumph
WRC
WRC WRC 2 h
Sesks tight-lipped on WRC future after ERC season finale triumph
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe