Red Bull team boss Christian Horner says the use of the term “childish” by race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase during an exchange with Max Verstappen was not directed at the Dutchman.
Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix turned into a tempestuous race for Verstappen, and his frustrations crackled through the team radio like a live wire as he battled car balance issues and what he perceived as strategic missteps by his team.
From the onset, Verstappen's frustration was palpable. He struggled with understeer in his RB20 and was further aggravated when both Lewis Hamilton and later Charles Leclerc were allowed to undercut him.
“It’s quite impressive how we let ourselves get undercut,” he remarked sharply over the radio, a sentiment that Horner later conceded as a team error.
Verstappen's ire continued to rise as the race progressed. A daring lunge on Hamilton at Turn 1 on lap 63 resulted in contact between the two drivers that sent the Red Bull airborne, leaving the reigning world champion with damage and a growing sense of injustice.
He fumed on the radio, accusing Hamilton of “moving under braking” and blaming the Mercedes driver for the clash. However, this time, Lambiase wasn't on board with his driver's complaints.
"I'm not even going to get into a radio fight with the other teams, Max," he said sternly. "We'll let the stewards do their thing. It's childish on the radio, childish."
Lambiase’s message was interpreted by some as a direct criticism of Verstappen’s behaviour. However, Horner was quick to correct the misunderstanding.
The Red Bull team principal believed Lambiase was trying to avoid getting embroiled in a public argument with Mercedes, who might be listening in for potential ammunition to use against Verstappen with the stewards.
“I think GP at that point wasn’t referring to Max, he was referring to others on the radio complaining about penalties,” Horner explained.
“So I don’t think GP 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 emphasized the strength of the long-standing relationship between Verstappen and Lambiase, which has been solid since 2016
“They’ve been together for eight years and yeah there’s things that we could have done better in the race today, but it’s something that we’ll talk about as a team,” he said.
On social media, it was suggested that Verstappen’s unusual level of exasperation during Sunday’s race was perhaps due to a lack of sleep, as it came to light that the Dutchman had indulged in an online stint in the Spa 24 Hours at 3 am.
But Horner firmly denied any connection between the sim race and Verstappen's behavior.
“I think people draw conclusions,” Horner added. “Max knows what’s required, he knows what it takes to drive a grand prix car and to win grands prix and be a World Champion.
“We always work as a team, and what discussions are had will always not take place through the media.”
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