Red Bull confirms Lambiase successor and future head of racing

Red Bull has moved decisively to secure the man it believes can shape the next chapter of its trackside operations, officially confirming the recruitment of long-serving Aston Martin engineer Tom McCullough as its future head of racing.

The 50-year-old Briton will join Red Bull at the beginning of 2027, stepping into a position currently occupied by GianPiero Lambiase, whose impending departure for McLaren has forced the Milton Keynes squad to plan carefully for the changing of the guard.

It is another significant piece in the reshaping of Red Bull’s senior engineering structure, with McCullough bringing more than a decade of experience from Aston Martin and its predecessors at Silverstone.

From Silverstone to Milton Keynes

McCullough has been a fixture of Aston Martin’s Formula 1 operation through its Force India and Racing Point incarnations, establishing a reputation for his trackside performance expertise before moving away from the F1 programme during a senior leadership reshuffle ahead of the 2025 season.

He subsequently took on a broader role within Aston Martin Performance Technologies, serving as the unit’s performance director.

Now, however, his experience will be brought back into the Formula 1 paddock – and deployed on behalf of one of the sport’s heavyweight teams.

"We're delighted to welcome Tom to the team at the beginning of 2027 and look forward to the wealth of experience and expertise he will bring to the role," Red Bull said in a statement.

McCullough’s arrival is directly linked to Lambiase’s future. The highly respected engineer, who combines his duties as Red Bull’s head of racing with his role as Max Verstappen’s race engineer, was promoted to the senior position in October 2024.

But his long-term future now lies elsewhere, with Lambiase set to join McLaren by 2028 at the latest.

Red Bull must consequently prepare for life without the man who has become one of the most influential figures on Verstappen’s side of the garage.

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McCullough will effectively inherit the head-of-race-engineering responsibilities, although the precise shape of Red Bull’s trackside structure will evolve as the transition approaches.

There is another intriguing twist to the succession story. Verstappen’s former performance engineer Tom Hart had previously been linked with a move to Williams to assume the race engineer position from 2027, but has opted against that switch.

For Red Bull, McCullough’s appointment represents a substantial addition of experience at a pivotal moment. By the time he walks through the doors in early 2027, the team will be deep into a new technical era — and will be counting on its new racing chief to help navigate it.

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