Red Bull eyes Aston Martin's Tom McCullough as new head of race engineering

Red Bull is reportedly targeting Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough to lead its race engineering operations, filling the void left by Gianpiero Lambiase's eventual move to McLaren. According to German outlet BILD, McCullough would assume responsibility for all trackside operational matters and coordinate the engineering team during grands prix.

Why it matters:

Lambiase has been integral to Red Bull's recent success, serving as Max Verstappen's race engineer since 2016 before his promotion to head of racing in October 2024. His confirmed departure to McLaren as chief racing officer leaves a significant gap in the team's trackside leadership, making the recruitment of an experienced successor essential to maintaining race-day performance and strategic continuity.

The details:

• McCullough is expected to leave Aston Martin at the end of the year after more than a decade with the Silverstone squad, spanning its evolution from Force India to Racing Point and Aston Martin.
• Prior to becoming performance director for Aston Martin Performance Technologies, he held various trackside roles and previously served as a race engineer at Williams for Nico Hulkenberg, Rubens Barrichello, and Bruno Senna, alongside a brief stint as head of track engineering at Sauber.
• Lambiase's exit was confirmed on 9 April 2026, when McLaren announced he had signed as chief racing officer with a tentative start date of 2028 or earlier.

What's next:

Aston Martin must now find its own replacement for McCullough as the performance director departs the Silverstone operation. For Red Bull, securing a figure with his breadth of trackside experience could provide crucial stability as the team navigates the transition away from Lambiase's long-standing leadership.