Untelevised team radio footage from the Japanese Grand Prix has revealed how Max Verstappen missed a trick with the F1 2026 rules in battle with Oscar Piastri\u2019s McLaren.<\/p>\n
It comes after PlanetF1.com revealed on Monday how Verstappen had another blunt exchange with Lambiase at Suzuka.<\/p>\n
More untelevised Max Verstappen team radio messages emerge after Japanese GP<\/p>\n
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Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n Verstappen\u2019s troubled start to the season continued in Japan last weekend as the four-time world champion qualified a distant 11th after suffering a rare Q2 elimination.<\/p>\n The Red Bull driver recovered to eighth on race day, crossing the line just three tenths shy of Pierre Gasly\u2019s Alpine in the fight for seventh.<\/p>\n Having aired his frustrations with the complex new rules for F1 2026 over recent weeks, Verstappen once again cast doubt over his Formula 1 future over the Japanese Grand Prix weekend.<\/p>\n Analysis: Japanese Grand Prix<\/p>\n Japanese GP conclusions: Dodgeball on wheels, Verstappen\u2019s rampage, Russell\u2019s Norris test<\/a><\/p>\n F1 data exposes why Max Verstappen\u2019s Japanese GP charge stalled<\/a><\/p>\n Verstappen commented after Saturday\u2019s qualifying session that there is \u201ca lot of stuff for me personally to figure out\u201d in light of his disappointing start to the season.<\/p>\n PlanetF1.com has closely monitored Verstappen\u2019s team radio communications with his Red Bull team over the course of this season, revealing after the season-opening Australian Grand Prix<\/a> how he branded the new cars \u201csuper frustrating to drive.\u201d<\/p>\n His long-serving race engineer Lambiase was then forced to remind Verstappen \u201cI am supposed to be on your side\u201d as the Chinese Grand Prix unfolded<\/a> earlier this month.<\/p>\n As reported by PlanetF1.com on Monday<\/a>, the entertaining back and forth between driver and race engineer continued in Japan, where Lambiase estimated that Verstappen had \u201ctwo or three tenths\u201d over Gasly as he battled against the Alpine driver.<\/p>\n In response: Verstappen quipped: \u201cEasy to say, mate, when you\u2019re on the pit wall.\u201d<\/p>\n More untelevised team radio messages from Suzuka reveal further frustrations from Verstappen\u2019s race, with Lambiase at one stage reminding his driver how to exploit the complicated new regulations.<\/p>\n Verstappen\u2019s frustrations came to the surface as early as Lap 7, when he called for quicker communication from the pit wall. The full exchange went as follows:<\/p>\n Verstappen: [inaudible]<\/p>\n Lambiase: \u201cMax, repeat please. The radio was poor on the start-finish straight.\u201d<\/p>\n Verstappen: \u201cYou need to advise me faster what to do with the battery when I\u2019m fighting, where then to lift. I hear nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n Lambiase: \u201cYou were maximising the harvest, Max.\u201d<\/p>\n McLaren driver Oscar Piastri pitted from the lead of the race on Lap 18, using his fresher tyres to pass the yet-to-stop Verstappen on the pit straight for fifth at the start of Lap 21.<\/p>\n Verstappen opted to defend from Piastri into the chicane \u2013 close to the detection point for the new-for-2026 \u2018overtake mode\u2019 \u2013 at the end of the previous lap, meaning the McLaren driver had an extra speed advantage for the main straight.<\/p>\n Overtake mode, which has been described as a replacement for the previous DRS system, allows drivers to deploy extra electrical energy (worth 0.5 megajoules per lap) when they are one second behind the car in front at a certain point of the track.<\/p>\n Verstappen did not act on Lambiase\u2019s hint on Lap 20 to let Piastri pass him before the chicane to gain overtake mode for the following straight.<\/p>\n Lambiase: \u201cThink about getting yourself some free overtake if you want to.\u201d<\/p>\n Verstappen previously had to be reminded by Lambiase during a safety car in Australia<\/a> to use the boost button at the restart.<\/p>\n During the safety car following Oliver Bearman\u2019s accident at Spoon, the four-time world champion once again checked in on Lap 25 regarding the restart procedure.<\/p>\n Verstappen: \u201cJust let me know for the restart, do I have to press the boost button?\u201d<\/p>\n Lambiase: \u201cYeah, I was gonna get to that. So at the restart, it will be slow button off when you\u2019re ready before Turn 16 regardless and press and hold the boost button.\u201d<\/p>\n With the safety car still deployed, a lap later Lambiase took the opportunity to remind Verstappen how best to ensure that he gets the overtake mode after missing a trick in his battle with Piastri.<\/p>\n Lambiase: \u201cMax, whilst we\u2019ve got some calm, just in case the opportunity presents itself again, what I meant by my message earlier about grabbing the overtake was if you thought Piastri was going to come through \u2013 or if it was inevitable that he was coming through \u2013 if you\u2019d have let him through before [Turn] 16, you could have had the half a megajoule extra.\u201d<\/p>\n Verstappen: \u201cYeah, copy. It was just, you know, they are so much faster it\u2019s just a bit of a mess.\u201d<\/p>\n Following the restart, the Dutchman found himself embroiled in a battle with Gasly\u2019s Alpine at the lower end of the top 10.<\/p>\n Verstappen ultimately came up short in his battle with Gasly, lamenting the RB22\u2019s \u201cterrible\u201d traction out of the chicane as he assessed the race immediately following the chequered flag.<\/p>\n Verstappen: \u201cYeah, I tried. It\u2019s just traction out of that final chicane, I would say. It\u2019s just terrible. We didn\u2019t get close.\u201d<\/p>\n Lambiase: \u201cCharge on and fail 84.\u201d<\/p>\n Laurent Mekies: \u201cThanks, Max. We know it was not fun, but we took a lot of learnings and it\u2019s what we needed for the next few weeks, so thanks for the effort.\u201d<\/p>\n Verstappen: \u201cYeah, I kept trying. Now we\u2019ve got a month to analyse a lot of stuff, so we keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n