Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Helmut Marko has laughed off any concerns about the relationship between Max Verstappen and race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase. The F1 championship leader extended his lead over teammate Sergio Perez with an emphatic eighth victory in a row at the Belgian Grand Prix. But his run to the line involved a number of tense radio conversations between Verstappen and 'GP', with the Dutchman told to 'use his head' on more than one occasion. The two-time World Champion suggested at one stage he would ignore calls for tyre management to instead open out a sufficient gap over the field to allow for "pit stop practice", a suggestion duly dismissed by the pit wall. The duo also clashed during qualifying on Friday, though any issues have been cleared up as normal interaction from both sides of the operation.
"Well, I've heard they might spend two days together on an island in the Mediterranean. My phone is on in case it escalates, I'll be there as a mediator," Marko joked when speaking to ServusTV . "They operate at a very high level and respect each other. 'GP' has Italian roots and Max is also very temperamental. "We know the background and then it gets even funnier.... but unfortunately I can't reveal everything. "Of course, he [Max] has his own ideas, like doing an extra stop now to give the team another pit stop training and secure the fastest lap. But it wasn't worth that risk." Addressing the one-two finish, Marko added: "The whole weekend was incredibly strong from both drivers. "Things got a little tense because of Max's grid penalty, but in the race there was sovereignty and ease again - except for a moment in the wet Eau Rouge."
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