Veteran Aston Martin Engineer Tim McCullough to Leave Team After 2026

Veteran Aston Martin engineer Tim McCullough is set to leave the team at the end of the 2026 season, closing a tenure spanning the Force India, Racing Point, and Aston Martin eras. Multiple reports indicate the Briton will depart following the current campaign, though his next position remains unannounced.

Why it matters:

McCullough's exit severs a direct link to the team's most competitive recent years. With Aston Martin sitting 10th in the Constructors' Championship during a difficult 2026 campaign, losing an experienced figure with over two decades in F1 underscores the scale of transition Newey is engineering as Team Principal. The move also signals a shift away from legacy personnel toward a new technical structure.

The details:

• McCullough began his F1 career at Williams in 2002, later serving as a race engineer for Nico Hülkenberg, Rubens Barrichello, and Bruno Senna.
• After a brief spell at Sauber, he joined Force India in 2013 to lead trackside operations, remaining through its evolution into Racing Point and Aston Martin.
• His tenure covered the team's strongest results, including consecutive fourth-place finishes in 2016 and 2017 and its maiden victory in 2020 under the Racing Point name.
• He stepped down as Performance Director at the start of 2025 and moved to Aston Martin Performance Technologies, while Mike Krack absorbed his trackside duties as Chief Trackside Officer.

What's next:

McCullough's departure comes as Aston Martin undergoes a major rebuild under Newey. Former Audi boss Jonathan Wheatley is expected to join, though no timeline has been confirmed. The exit clears the way for Newey to solidify his own leadership architecture, but the team must first address its lack of competitiveness to justify such sweeping changes.