RED BULL CONFIRMS HIRE OF KEY ASTON MARTIN ENGINEER AS GIANPIERO LAMBIASE REPLACEMENT

Red Bull has locked down Tom McCullough as Gianpiero Lambiase's successor for head of racing. McCullough, 50, spent decades at Aston Martin through its Force India and Racing Point eras, rising from chief race engineer to performance director before being shuffled to non-F1 work in 2025 when Mike Krack absorbed his duties. He joins Red Bull in early 2027.

Lambiase, who doubles as Verstappen's race engineer and racing operations boss, departs for McLaren in 2028 to become chief racing officer under Andrea Stella. Tom Hart, Verstappen's former performance engineer, takes over race engineering duties in 2027 after passing on Williams.

The timeline gives Red Bull two years to bed in the new structure before Lambiase walks. McCullough brings stability—he's navigated midfield machinery and leadership churn—but Red Bull's operational edge has been built on Lambiase's real-time calls and Verstappen's trust. Whether that chemistry survives the handover determines if Red Bull stays sharp or slips into turbulence.