Coronel and Hezemans praise Verstappen’s composure after Brazil radio joke

In the RacingNews365 podcast, Tim Coronel and Mike Hezemans praised Max Verstappen’s composure while discussing his joking reply over team radio during second practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Verstappen joked that he might have to speak to the power unit himself and tell the clutch to shift or face a penalty. Hezemans took the exchange as a light-hearted request for clearer instructions and noted that the voice on the radio was Tom Hart’s, not Gianpiero Lambiase’s; Hart is due to become Verstappen’s regular engineer.

The humour came amid radio-connection problems that had also affected Verstappen at Singapore and Austin. Coronel questioned why the issue kept returning, saying the radio worked for others and wondering whether Verstappen’s helmet might be involved.

Hezemans said Verstappen used very little energy while racing, calling it one of his biggest strengths. Coronel said Verstappen still had mental capacity to spare in the car and praised how relaxed he seemed.