Source: Official Team Post via X
Tom Hart: The Next Race Engineer for Max Verstappen at Red Bull
Tom Hart is set to replace GianPiero Lambiase as Max Verstappen's race engineer at Red Bull, following Lambiase's move to McLaren by 2028. Hart, a seasoned performance engineer within Red Bull, will begin taking on race duties in 2026.
Tom Hart is on track to become Max Verstappen’s race engineer at Red Bull, taking over from GianPiero Lambiase when he departs for McLaren by 2028 to assume the role of chief racing officer. Hart, who has been with Red Bull since 2012, will ascend from his current position as a performance engineer to work directly with the four-time World Champion.
Tom Hart's Journey to Race Engineer
Hart's path to this prominent role has been a blend of engineering and strategy. A Warwick University graduate in mechanical engineering, he initially dabbled in politics as a researcher for a UK MP. However, he soon shifted gears, joining Red Bull as an industrial placement student in 2012. From there, Hart transitioned into the race engineering department, and later, he spent over five years as a simulator performance engineer, a critical role ensuring the correlation between simulator data and on-track performance.
In early 2020, Hart became a performance engineer, embedding himself within Verstappen's engineering team. Earlier this year, there were rumors of Hart potentially moving to Williams to work with Alex Albon. However, either Red Bull's team principal Laurent Mekies or Verstappen himself reportedly intervened to keep Hart at the team, recognizing his value and the impending vacancy as Verstappen's race engineer.
Hart is not stepping into Lambiase’s head of racing role, which will be filled by Tom McCullough in 2027. Instead, Hart will focus on his new responsibilities as Verstappen's race engineer.
Transition Timeline
Lambiase is expected to join McLaren “no later than 2028,” though Zak Brown, McLaren's CEO, hopes for a transition by 2027. Hart will begin easing into his new role by taking on race engineering duties for Verstappen during the latter part of the 2026 season, specifically for the United States, Sao Paulo, and Las Vegas Grands Prix. Lambiase will continue his duties for the remainder of the season until his departure is finalized.
Once Hart officially assumes the role full-time, he will become the third engineer to partner with Verstappen, following Simon Rennie, who temporarily stepped in for Lambiase during the 2025 season.