Red Bull Racing has confirmed that Tom Hart will take over as Max Verstappen’s race engineer, replacing Gianpiero Lambiase, who will leave the team to join McLaren in 2028. Hart, currently a performance engineer, has been sought to prevent his likely incorporation into Williams.
Following a report from the Dutch press, Red Bull has officially indicated that Hart will take over from Lambiase. Initially, Hart was set to become Alex Albon’s engineer at Williams, but the Milton Keynes outfit has managed to reverse the agreement.
During the Austrian Grand Prix, Red Bull’s team principal, Laurent Mekies, hinted at this possibility, mentioning that many of the names circulating would remain in the garage. Hart has had an important role with Verstappen and this year has taken on responsibilities for both cars in the team.
The exact date of Hart’s promotion has yet to be determined, as it will depend on when Lambiase completes his duties at Red Bull. Lambiase is expected to begin a period of job-free time before joining McLaren, meaning Hart will start in January 2027, with the possibility of performing Lambiase’s duties during the second half of the current season.
To facilitate this transition, Hart gained some experience in this role during a filming day with Isack Hadjar at Silverstone. Ultimately, even if Verstappen decided to leave Red Bull, Hart would continue in his new role as race engineer, but working with Verstappen’s successor.
Despite Red Bull’s success in retaining Hart, Paul Monaghan, the team’s chief engineer, has been absent in recent races, surrounded by speculation about his future at Cadillac.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
