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Max Verstappen has apologised to race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase for launching what he has described as a “rant” during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix that included the use of the f-word on three occasions.
Knowing he would be serving a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change beyond the permitted allocation for the season, Red Bull driver Verstappen only just scraped into the top-10 shoot-out in 10th place. Qualifying 11th would have seen him start 16th.
The two-time F1 champion eventually went on to finish fastest in qualifying with a staggering time 0.820s quicker than nearest rival Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari, so will drop to sixth on the grid for Sunday’s grand prix.
Verstappen, however, was far from happy with his run plan at the end of Q2, believing he only came close to missing out on Q3 due to what had been devised as conditions changed during the session, with drivers switching from intermediates at the start to softs for the closing minutes.
After returning to the garage in between sessions, an angry Verstappen said: “I should have just ******* pushed two laps in a row like I said”, to which Lambiase replied: “But you are through Max.”
Verstappen’s level of ire, however, only increased. He fumed: “I don’t give a **** mate if I’m through in P10. It’s just ******* execution.”
Keeping his cool, Lambiase delivered a sarcastic response.
“Okay, and then when the track was two seconds quicker for your final lap, did you have any energy left? How would that have gone down?” said Lambiase.
“But you tell me what you want to do in Q3, and we’ll do it. Let me know – (tyre) sets, fuel, run plan.”
After setting the best lap time at the end of Q3, Verstappen was naturally more at ease with Lambiase.
“Oh, a nice gap that,” when informed of the eight-tenths-of-a-second cushion to Leclerc.
“At least we had a good Q3, and sorry to GP for being such a…so on the rant.”
“Slowly getting used to it Max,” said Lambiase.
Asked about the outburst after qualifying, Verstappen said: “That happens sometimes. Most of it is normally blocked off.
“I think we can both be quite vocal or emotional, but we always solve it afterward, so it’s all good.”
Verstappen, though, refused to acknowledge whether Lambiase was correct with regard to the battery situation at the end of Q2, especially with how track conditions ramped up in the closing stages.
“Honestly, there’s no need for me to comment on that,” said Verstappen. “I will discuss it with him.”
Despite starting from sixth, Verstappen is naturally confident of scoring an eighth successive grand prix victory that would leave him one shy of Sebastian Vettel’s all-time record of nine in a single season.
Referring to what happened last year at the circuit, Verstappen said: “Last year I started 14th, and this year the car is better.
“So I’m still targetting to win the race, for sure.”
