Max Verstappen and his Red Bull race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, popularly known as GP, had tense exchanges during the Hungarian GP. The reigning champion vented his frustration over the team’s strategy and his incident with Lewis Hamilton, only to receive blunt responses from the pit wall.

Over the years, Verstappen and Lambiase have gained popularity for their blunt and direct radio conversations. The Red Bull driver’s angry rants over the radio are often met with straightforward comments by Lambiase; however, a line seemed to be breached during the recent race weekend in Budapest.

Max Verstappen was left to battle Lewis Hamilton for the final podium spot in the Hungarian GP. He got undercut by the Hamilton during both pit stops and tangled with the Mercedes driver in an attempt to overtake him. When Verstappen tried to elaborate on the incident, GP shut down his comments on the radio, suggesting that complaining to the stewards would be “childish.”

F1 pundit Peter Windsor lambasted Verstappen’s race engineer for his responses, stating that the conversation was appalling. Instead, he reckoned the team should have tendered an apology for the poor strategy.

“Max on the radio today was absolutely livid and he said whatever came into his head about the ridiculous strategy…That’s the way a racing driver should be. I’m sorry, yeah it sounded bad, but for the team to get on the radio to Max Verstappen and say ‘Don’t start talking about who was ahead on the apex, Max, It’s childish to do that, childish,'” Windsor said in a video that he uploaded on his Youtube channel. [from 7:52]”I mean who are they talking to, I can’t believe a Red Bull employee said that to Max Verstappen in the middle of the race. I think it’s absolutely appalling. Red Bull should not be speaking to Max Verstappen about that, they should have been apologizing on the radio for the strategy and try to get the best from him,” he added.

Verstappen, the reigning F1 champion, wound up finishing fifth in what was a frustrating Hungarian GP, while McLaren ran away with a 1-2 finish.

Red Bull boss clarifies tense exchanges between Max Verstappen and GP

Christian Horner clarified that Gianpiero Lambiase’s comments over the radio during the Hungarian GP were not directed at Max Verstappen personally. He explained that GP was referring to the act of complaining to the stewards as “childish”.

“GP, I think at that point actually wasn’t referring to Max, I think he’s referring to others on the radio complaining about penalties. So, I don’t think GP’s reference at that point was in reference to Max. Others are obviously goading for penalties, because obviously, the stewards are listening to the radio as well,” Horner was quoted as saying by Sports Illustrated.

Christian Horner acknowledged Verstappen’s frustration with how the Hungarian GP unfolded and assured that the team would review their strategy and the radio communication.