Damon Hill was taken aback by the heated onboard radio conversations between Max Verstappen and his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, during the Hungarian Grand Prix. The British racer found Verstappen’s attitude ‘quite cheeky’, stating, “Gianpiero deserves an apology.”
Of course, in the heat of the moment, inappropriate comments or curses can slip out. This is part and parcel of a high-adrenaline sport like Formula 1, acknowledges Damon Hill. As a former Formula 1 world champion, he knows this all too well. However, he believes there are limits, and in his view, Verstappen crossed them. “I thought Max sounded a bit frustrated,” Hill, who was in Hungary as a Sky Sports analyst, opines. “He was complaining all the time, he sounded somewhat desperate if you ask me.”
That’s one thing, says the Brit. “But the way he spoke to Gianpiero, I found it very cheeky. I think he owes Gianpiero an apology.” Verstappen himself stated after the race that he has had such intense and heated conversations with his race engineer before, and he found the tone less sensational than outsiders did. Hill adds, “I’m a bit old-fashioned, maybe that’s why. If my child spoke to me like that, I would have a serious conversation with them.”
