Red Bull has appointed Tom Hart as Max Verstappen's new Formula 1 race engineer, promoting the Dutchman from performance engineer to succeed Gianpiero Lambiase, who is leaving for McLaren.
The decision, first reported by respected Dutch journalist Erik van Haren of De Telegraaf, ends weeks of speculation about who would inherit the most scrutinised role on the Red Bull pit wall. Hart has served as Verstappen's performance engineer since 2020 and was initially poised to leave the Milton Keynes outfit for Williams.
In a dramatic reversal, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies and Williams counterpart James Vowles brokered an agreement that kept Hart at the reigning constructors' champions and elevated him to race engineer — the primary voice guiding the four-time world champion through every Grand Prix weekend.
Lambiase, who formed one of the most formidable driver-engineer partnerships in F1 history alongside Verstappen over the past decade, has agreed to join McLaren as Chief Racing Officer from 2028. The Italian-British engineer was instrumental in Verstappen's four consecutive drivers' titles and his departure marks the end of a defining era for Red Bull's technical operations.
Verstappen holds a performance clause in his Red Bull contract, which runs through the end of 2028, that would allow him to leave the team sooner. Speculation has persisted that he could follow Lambiase to McLaren, but Verstappen's manager Raymond Vermeulen recently indicated the 28-year-old intends to honour his existing commitment.
Speaking at the Miami Grand Prix about Lambiase's impending exit, Verstappen said: "I was very happy for him. Times change in your career and that was a really good opportunity for him."
Should Verstappen ultimately depart, Hart would still assume the race engineer role at Red Bull, underscoring the team's long-term succession planning for its race operations leadership.
Sources
- https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1101393/1/red-bull-chooses-max-verstappens-new-f1-race-engineer-after-gianpiero-lambiase
