Veteran Aston Martin engineer Tim McCullough to exit team after 2026

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Long-serving Aston Martin engineer Tim McCullough is reportedly set to leave the team at the end of the 2026 season, bringing to a close a relationship that has spanned more than a decade across the outfit’s various identities.

Multiple reports indicate that McCullough will depart after the current campaign, although no announcement has been made regarding his next position.

The Briton has been part of the organisation through its Force India, Racing Point and Aston Martin eras, holding a range of senior engineering roles with a particular focus on trackside performance.

McCullough stepped down from his position as Aston Martin’s Performance Director at the beginning of 2025 as part of a broader restructuring of the team’s senior management. He was subsequently moved to Aston Martin’s Performance Technologies to oversee the division’s expansion into other racing categories.

His former responsibilities were absorbed by Mike Krack, who became Chief Trackside Officer.

The reported departure comes during a difficult season for Aston Martin, which sits 10th in the Constructors’ Championship after struggling for competitiveness through much of the year.

A career spanning Williams, Sauber and Force India

McCullough began his Formula 1 career with Williams in 2002 as a data engineer before progressing to race engineer roles. During his time at Grove he worked with drivers including Nico Hülkenberg, Rubens Barrichello and Bruno Senna.

After leaving Williams in 2012, he spent a brief period at Sauber as Head of Track Engineering before returning to the UK in 2013 to lead the trackside engineering operation at Force India.

That period coincided with some of the team’s strongest results, including consecutive fourth-place finishes in the constructors’ standings in 2016 and 2017.

Under the Racing Point name, the team also achieved its first Formula 1 victory in 2020 and again finished fourth in the championship.

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Aston Martin is currently overseen by Adrian Newey, who serves as Team Principal and Managing Technical Partner, as the team continues a major technical rebuild. Former Audi boss Jonathan Wheatley is also expected to join the organisation in the future, although no timeline has been confirmed.

McCullough’s reported exit therefore comes at a significant moment in Aston Martin’s restructuring, with the team attempting to reverse a difficult campaign while preparing for a new phase under an evolving leadership group.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.