In the round-up: Max Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase says their latest championship success recalled his first title fight against Lewis Hamilton.
In brief
Title fight like “intense” 2021 season – Lambiase
Lambiase admitted Verstappen’s fight against Lando Norris hadn’t been as tough as his often controversial fight with Hamilton. “I won’t say it was quite as hard as 2021, that was an incredibly intense year, but it came very close,” Lambiase told Viaplay. “It required a lot of dedication, commitment from the whole team and from Max.
“We started the year really well off the back of 2023, but in the middle of the year obviously we had a few problems, as everybody is aware. But the team stuck together really well.
“We really dug deep, analysed the data, tried to understand what the source of the problems were. And I think you’ve seen that there’s been, over the last few races, a bit more of a progression again. Max is back and we’re very happy to seal the championship.”
Bennett gets F2 chance
GB3 championship runner-up John Bennett will make his Formula 2 debut with Van Amersfoort this weekend in Losail. Bennett, who will take over the seat formerly held by Enzo Fittipaldi, will also contest the season finale in Yas Marina.
“Earlier this year, I was able to take part in the F3 tests with VAR, and they went very well,” said Bennett. “The team and I feel that I am ready to take the next step in F2 and I can’t wait for the new challenge.”
Verstappen swipes at Brown over fake quote
Following his championship-clinching drive in Las Vegas last weekend, Verstappen took a swipe at McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, telling him “you said before I could only win it in the fastest car” during an interview on Sky.
Verstappen appeared to be referring to a comment Brown made six months earlier, which was widely misquoted on social media. Speaking after the Miami Grand Prix, at which point Verstappen and his team mate Sergio Perez headed the drivers’ standings, Brown was asked whether he would rather have a star designer or a star driver.
“Well, ultimately, you need both,” he told the official F1 channel. “I don’t think without a star driver you’re going to win, so you need both. First, it does start with the car. People ask me all the time ‘is it car or driver’ and, well, it’s both.
“But I think the way I characterise it is I think there are six [or] seven drivers on the grid that would be world champions in the Red Bull. And as great as Max is, and he’s one of the best ever, I don’t think Max wins the world championship today in any other car other than the Red Bull. But then when you look at the difference and Sergio Perez is an excellent racing driver who shown on his day he can run with Max. But look at the difference there.
“So I think you need both because as Formula 1 gets closer and Max is doing such a special job. But look at what’s going on from P2, P3, P4, P5, one day we’re P2, next day we’re P5 and it’s all moving around. So the cars are so close that that’s when the driver is going to make the difference. So you need both at the end of the day.”
Maserati signs up for more FE
Maserati has committed to continue participating until Formula E until at least 2030. It will produce cars to the series’ new ‘Gen 4’ rules, due for introduction in 2026.
