Overview
- Red Bull confirmed Sunday that Tom Hart will succeed Gianpiero Lambiase as Max Verstappen’s race engineer.
- Hart had agreed in late 2025 to join Williams but Red Bull and Williams reached an agreement after team chief Laurent Mekies intervened to keep him at Red Bull.
- Hart, who has been Verstappen’s performance engineer since January 2020, is expected to formally start the race‑engineer role at the start of 2027 and to stand in at selected races in the second half of 2026 to smooth the handover.
- Gianpiero Lambiase has agreed to join McLaren as chief racing officer no later than 2028 and is likely to be placed on an extended gardening leave before he begins that role.
- The appointment aims to preserve the driver‑engineer relationship that shapes race strategy and communication, while Verstappen’s contract runs to the end of 2028 with a performance clause that keeps questions about his long‑term future open.