Red Bull has announced the hiring of former Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough as its new head of racing, with the 50-year-old set to take up the role at the beginning of 2027. McCullough will succeed Gianpiero Lambiase, who is leaving Red Bull to become chief racing officer at McLaren, a move confirmed to take place by 2028 at the latest.
A key addition to the team
McCullough brings a wealth of experience to the Milton Keynes squad, having spent over a decade at the team currently known as Aston Martin through its previous iterations as Force India and Racing Point. During his tenure, he served as chief race engineer for four seasons before being promoted to performance director, a role he held until the end of 2024. Before joining the Silverstone-based outfit, McCullough worked at Williams and Sauber.
In January 2025, a restructuring at Aston Martin saw McCullough moved away from the F1 team to the manufacturer's performance technologies division. The decision was taken by team principal Mike Krack, who assumed some of his duties in the reshuffle. McCullough is now set to depart that role to take up his new challenge with Red Bull.
Statement from Red Bull
Announcing the appointment, Red Bull said in a statement: '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.'
The move has been interpreted as a significant coup for Red Bull, given McCullough's reputation within the paddock. Under team principal Laurent Mekies, McCullough's remit will cover all operational aspects of the race team, effectively serving as a senior figurehead on the trackside management team.
Lambiase's departure
Lambiase, who has been Max Verstappen's race engineer since 2016, will join McLaren in 2028 as its chief racing officer, reporting directly to team principal Andrea Stella. He will continue to fulfil his duties with Red Bull until then, although speculation has mounted over a possible early release, with some suggesting that McCullough's appointment could facilitate a smoother transition.
Meanwhile, Tom Hart, who previously worked as Verstappen's performance engineer, has declined an offer to join Williams as race engineer in 2027. Hart's decision paves the way for McCullough to assume a double role, should Red Bull choose to restructure its race engineering team.
A changing of the guard
McCullough's arrival marks the end of an era at Red Bull, where the partnership between Verstappen and Lambiase became one of the most successful in the sport's history. The pair won multiple world championships together, but with Lambiase moving on, the team has moved quickly to secure a proven replacement.
As McCullough prepares to take on his new challenge, the team will hope that his experience and expertise will help maintain its competitiveness at the highest level of motor racing.