Max Verstappen’s long-time engineer details the main point in the Dutchman’s career that led to his later success on track.
When Max Verstappen made the extraordinary leap from Formula 3 to Formula 1 during the 2015 season, he was regarded as the next great thing for Red Bull.
A first victory for the team in 2016 was followed by magnificent rain-soaked drives in Brazil, as well as victories in Malaysia and Mexico later that year.
Although these early successes demonstrated Verstappen’s abilities, long-time engineer Gianpiero Lambiase recalled a period in 2018 when the Dutchman had a “turning point” in his F1 career.
Verstappen had withdrawn from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after colliding with teammate Daniel Ricciardo, and he had also crashed out of qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, just when it appeared he might contend for a front row slot.
“Working closely with him, there’s been two stages in his development,” Lambiase stated in an interview on Verstappen’s journey to three-time F1 World Champion.
“The first was in early 2018, when we had a rough ride through the first six or seven races.”
“We couldn’t do anything but crash into something or somebody.” That year, he realized he needed to change or things were headed in the wrong direction.
“From the midseason onwards, he was in really competitive against Daniel for the rest of that year.”
Lambiase: That is what ultimately earned him the championship
Verstappen’s commitment on consistency throughout the 2018 season, according to Lambiase, was essential in his development as a driver.
This expertise finally helped him to win 19 of 22 races in the RB19 this year, putting together one of the most dominant F1 seasons in ever.
“The second one was a build up from 2018 and is actually starting to learn that you needed to be at the checkered flag if you actually wanted to start competing for a championship,” Lambiase added.
“I think that penny dropped in 2020, when the car wasn’t quite as competitive as it was the year before.” He couldn’t mount a title push, but he was extremely consistent.
“Then in 2021, I think that ultimately is what won him the championship, his level of consistency.”
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