In the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, there were some intense exchanges between Max Verstappen and his race engineer Gianpiero ‘GP’ Lambiase over the radio. This raises the question of whether their relationship is strained or if it’s just the normal dynamic between driver and race engineer. Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer sheds light on the unique bond between a driver and his engineer in his column this week.
The race engineer is the main point of contact between the team and the driver, and they play a crucial role in achieving performance during a Grand Prix weekend. They are responsible for discussing run plans, car setup, tire compounds, engine modes, and other important aspects of the driver’s performance. The driver doesn’t usually get to choose their engineer; they are assigned the best person for the job at the beginning of the season, and they both have to figure out how to work together effectively.
The relationship between a driver and their race engineer becomes stronger over time as they spend more time together on the team. This is evident in long-standing partnerships like Pete Bonnington and Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, who have been working together for 11 seasons. Hamilton has described his engineer as “like a brother” due to the close relationship they have developed, which helps them maximize their performance.
Different engineers have different personalities, but what matters is that they are fully committed to achieving the best results for the driver. Sometimes, the stress and pressure can become overwhelming, and drivers may become frustrated and ask their engineer to stop talking on the radio. This shows the immense pressure they are under and the need for focus during critical moments.
The relationship between Verstappen and Lambiase has been long-standing and successful, resulting in two world championships. There is a level of trust and honesty in their communication, even if it may seem confrontational from an outsider’s perspective. Verstappen currently holds a dominant position within the Red Bull team, and his confidence and skill allow him to make decisions on the track according to his own judgment.
In the heat of the battle, disagreements may arise between the driver and the engineer, but ultimately, what matters is their ability to discuss and resolve these issues later in a calmer setting. The driver’s influence on the team is crucial to making improvements and suggestions for future races. However, it is important for drivers to remain open-minded and consider the team’s suggestions as well.
The relationship between a driver and their engineer is such a critical aspect of their performance that it often continues even after their racing days are over. Many former drivers maintain contact with their former engineers. Despite occasional disagreements, it is clear that the driver’s relationship with their engineer is essential in achieving success in Formula 1.
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We overheard Max Verstappen and his race engineer Gianpiero ‘GP’ Lambiase exchanging some rather racy messages over the radio over the Belgian Grand Prix weekend (see video below). But is it just the normal give and take between driver and race engineer, or does it suggest a strained relationship between the two? In his column this week, former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer gives us insight into the unique bond between a driver and his bond with the pit wall…
A driver’s relationship with his race engineer is one of the most critical gears in achieving performance during a Grand Prix weekend. The race engineer is the main point of contact between the team and the rider in all facets of working life. They are also the go-between for many other people on the team due to their close relationship with the driver.
Of course, their main job is to work together to achieve the maximum result during each weekend. That can be discussing run plans, car setup, tire compounds, engine modes, starting procedures, and just about anything else that needs to happen in the driver’s cab.
In most cases, drivers don’t get to pick their engineer, they’re assigned the best man for the job at the start of the year, and then they both have to figure out how the other works.
The more time you spend on a team, the more you build that relationship and the deeper your understanding with the person in the garage becomes as you race around the track.
This is most evident with the likes of Pete Bonnington and Lewis Hamilton, who are in their 11th season working together at Mercedes. Hamilton has described his engineer as “like a brother”, such is their close relationship and helps them get the most out of each other by not only setting up the car to the best of their ability, but also understanding the human side of performance.
Belgian Grand Prix 2023: Listen to Verstappen’s tense radio calls with his race engineer
Throughout my time racing in GP2 and Formula 1, I worked with a different engineer every year and they were all quite different characters. Everyone wanted to win, as anyone who works in the sport does, but some were more effusive than others and it really helps boost team spirit on your side of the garage and gives you confidence that they are working their best for you.
As a driver, it’s a great feeling to come back from a session and see a big smile on your engineer’s face, but even seeing frustration over missed opportunities isn’t a bad thing, it just shows how much they care.
The stakes are high and the pressure is enormous, so an important part of a racing engineer’s job is psychology. Drivers are almost always the highest paid members of a team, so the scrutiny placed on them and their results is immense. If things go wrong, they are the ones who have to deal with the world’s media and explain the actions of themselves or their team.
Having someone in the garage who knows what’s going on inside the driver’s mind almost instinctively and knows what to tell him, and when, is crucial. Every once in a while we hear particularly shrill team radios from a driver telling their engineer to stop talking, and that’s a sign of the stress they’re under.
Sometimes when cabin pressure builds you need to be fully focused and someone making unnecessary comments on the radio is distracting and frustrating. It sounds brutal and rude on the radio, but it shows the stress a driver is under and sometimes boils over at critical moments.
I remember being told once that the next car in front of me was 20 seconds away with about four laps to go in the race and I thought, ‘how demotivating’. If I was on the other end of the radio with the driver I could have kept it quiet!
LOOK – What are you saying?! The best team radio of the 2023 season so far
Verstappen has worked with GP for a long time, in fact, since his first Grand Prix with Red Bull in 2016. The two also have an excellent understanding, which has earned them two world championships and counting.
There’s a trust you have in the relationship when they can be so honest and demanding with each other on team radio and that seems to be the case with them now, even if it seems confrontational from the outside.
It doesn’t matter if I had a great session or a disappointing one, my top engineers weren’t afraid to tell me what I could have done better and I enjoyed that constant pursuit of performance, but we also had an open policy so I would make sure to question their decisions as well, everything. which leads to better results.
But like all engineers, drivers have different personalities, so just because I worked a certain way doesn’t mean that approach would work for everyone on the grid.
To be successful in Formula 1, everyone has to give their all and also demand the best from their teammates and that is why we hear the greats question things so often.
Hamilton has also been stressed and frustrated with calls from the pit wall in the past. It’s part of the racing, but we’ve seen many times that, unlike the Hamilton-Bonnington relationship, Verstappen is definitely the boss in the Red Bull camp. He has so much confidence, skill and feel at the moment that he is able to win races largely by driving how he wants to in Grands Prix and he is ending up taking most of the shots.
Belgian Grand Prix 2023: Verstappen crosses the line to take his eighth consecutive victory
In Austria, after having a call for a late pit stop turned down, he forced the issue and set fastest lap, and although he didn’t pit in Belgium, he was apparently ignoring GP as he continued to push his advantage late on. until the end. chorus of radio messages from his engineer imploring him to take it easy.
At Spa, it was like a family spat between GP and Max in radio qualifying, as Max was not happy with his race plan on a dry track, but GP stood by his decision and explained the ramifications of the alternative.
Because Max is clearly the number one driver, he has the power and authority to make people dance to his beat right now, and it’s working. The results speak for themselves. We hear the occasional disagreement on the radio, but once the dust has settled and the Dutch and Austrian anthems have played once more, it doesn’t matter. It’s easier to discuss these things later in a cold engineering room than in the heat of battle.
It’s something all the greats of the past have been able to do: use their influence on the team to make suggestions and make a winning machine even better. The important thing is also to be open-minded about the team’s suggestions and I’m sure behind closed doors Max is just that. After all, in Formula 1 you don’t get to such a dominant winning position on your own.
The engineer plays such a crucial role in a driver’s life that I’m still in touch with many of my former engineers now, even from some of my early days before Formula 1. But just getting in doesn’t stop the occasional discontent message on the radio from time to time, when you think you are being told the obvious or the irrelevant.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.ex-f1-driver-jolyon-palmer-explains-the-complex-and-crucial-relationship.6VmKLC49W63g7DdutTLkQy.html
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