RED BULL SIGNS KEY ASTON MARTIN ENGINEER AS LAMBIASE REPLACEMENT

Red Bull has poached Aston Martin's Tom McCullough to replace Gianpiero Lambiase as head of racing starting in 2027. Lambiase, who doubles as Max Verstappen's race engineer, is McLaren-bound in 2028 as chief racing officer under Andrea Stella. The shuffle clarifies Red Bull's succession plan: Tom Hart, Verstappen's former performance engineer, passed on a Williams offer and will step into the race engineer seat in 2027, while McCullough takes the broader racing leadership role.

McCullough brings 25 years of experience, including four seasons as Aston Martin's chief race engineer and a stint as performance director through 2024. He was sidelined to non-F1 projects earlier this year when team principal Mike Krack absorbed his duties during a restructuring. The move reunites McCullough with frontrunner operations after stints at Sauber, Williams, and the Force India/Racing Point era. Red Bull locks down two key hires ahead of Lambiase's exit, maintaining continuity in the garage as the Verstappen era rolls on.