Red Bull Racing has chosen its successor for Max Verstappen‘s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase. The choice falls on Tom Hart, who previously seemed to be on his way to Williams, where he would have taken on the role of race engineer for Alex Albon.
After rumors surfaced midweek regarding the decision, Red Bull has confirmed that Hart will complete the transition within the team. In recent years, he has been Verstappen’s performance engineer and has recently expanded his responsibility to manage the needs of both drivers during the race.
Red Bull’s head, Laurent Mekies, had hinted at the possible change during the Austrian Grand Prix. When asked about the rumors surrounding Paul Monaghan, who might be on the verge of leaving for Cadillac, Mekies responded that many names being mentioned are still at their plant. This includes Hart, who has ultimately chosen to stay with the team.
Lambiase, who will join the McLaren roster as head of the race office starting 2028, will begin a gardening leave period before that date. Hart, who does not yet have a fixed promotion date to race engineer, will officially start in 2027, although he is expected to take on the role on an interim basis during the second half of the current season.
This strategic change closes the door on Hart’s move to Williams, a move that has been cleverly managed by Red Bull. Currently, the continuity of chief engineer Paul Monaghan is up in the air, as there are talks of a possible promotion to Cadillac, although his resignation has not been formally confirmed.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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