Max Verstappen finally broke his Singapore Grand Prix curse and was able to celebrate the landmark victory on the podium alongside long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase. After finally winning at Marina Bay, the Red Bull driver reflected on their unusual radio communication during the race and recalled an emotional conversation the pair had shared in Las Vegas one year earlier.
It was a Sunday to remember for Verstappen, who completed a dominant Singapore weekend by taking his first Formula 1 victory at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Max Verstappen finally wins in Singapore
Verstappen had never previously won the Singapore Grand Prix, but that wait finally ended with a commanding performance at Marina Bay.
The victory also gave him the opportunity to celebrate on the podium with Gianpiero Lambiase, the engineer who has been central to so many of Verstappen’s successes at Red Bull.
Lambiase is set to leave his race-engineer role to Tom Hart at the end of 2026 as preparations begin for 2027, before eventually moving to McLaren following a period of gardening leave.
Broken radio forces Verstappen and Lambiase to improvise
Verstappen had to deal with communication problems throughout the Singapore Grand Prix, with his radio making it extremely difficult for Red Bull to understand his replies.
Lambiase managed the problem by developing a simple form of coded communication, using carefully phrased questions that allowed Verstappen to indicate his intentions even when his radio responses could not be clearly understood.
“I think they were happy that the radio wasn’t working properly,” Max Verstappen joked during the post-race press conference. “Obviously it’s not ideal to have a radio that doesn’t work, but Lambiase understood how to communicate in a very ‘basic’ way by asking me questions about things I was actually thinking about and which were important to answer or discuss.”
Verstappen recalls emotional Las Vegas conversation
For Verstappen, having Lambiase alongside him on the Singapore podium made the occasion particularly meaningful.
“It was nice to have him up there with me on the podium,” Verstappen added. “A year ago in Las Vegas he told me, ‘this could be the last one’, and I replied that there would be many more, but I think I brought myself a little bad luck.”
The remark carried extra significance after Verstappen finally ended his long wait for a victory at Marina Bay.
Singapore breakthrough makes victory even sweeter
Verstappen admitted that finally achieving a result he had chased for so long made the victory more satisfying.
“I’m very happy to have won in Singapore, it took me a while,” Verstappen concluded. “But when you finally get a result you have wanted so much, you enjoy it even more.”
The Singapore victory therefore represented more than another addition to Verstappen’s career total. It closed one of the few remaining gaps on his Formula 1 record and provided another memorable moment in his long partnership with Lambiase.
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