Yuki Tsunoda has revealed an impressive aspect of the relationship between Max Verstappen and his Formula 1 race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase.
Since Verstappen’s promotion to Red Bull in mid-2016, Lambiase, better known as GP, has been the voice in his ear throughout his time in the team.
The pair have come to understand each other in a manner that very few engineers and drivers ever have, sharing four Drivers’ titles and 71 victories.
Tsunoda, who spent 2025 in the opposite Red Bull garage, admitted the chance to observe how Verstappen and Lambiase operate opened his eyes.
“GP is honestly one of the most impressive engineers I’ve ever worked with,” Tsunoda mentioned to DAZN Japan. “His ideas are incredible.”
“He also oversees my chassis, but when Max is struggling, the priority has to be there.
“My engineering team is very capable, but simply less experienced, so sometimes we needed help. I just couldn’t always ask for it.”
The Verstappen-Lambiase connection
In particular, Tsunoda was in awe at how smooth the communication is between them, ensuring that Verstappen gets the information he needs in a concise manner.
“I listened to how GP and Max communicated during FP1, and it’s completely different,” he expanded.
“You hear how efficiently everything runs. I wanted to achieve that level of communication.”
Tsunoda learnt a crucial lesson: Hesitation can cost time, and in a sport where milliseconds matter, having a strong relationship with your engineer is critical for success.
“If you have to check something with someone else first, you’re automatically a step behind,” he concluded.
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