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Max Verstappen’s outgoing race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will be replaced by Tom Hart at Red Bull.
Lambiase confirmed in April that he will leave Red Bull and his role as Verstappen’s right-hand man for McLaren, joining the papaya as the chief racing officer no later than 2028.
Red Bull are now shuffling their cards behind the scenes as they prepare for a new era and it has been confirmed that Verstappen’s performance engineer Hart will take over Lambiase’s role – and will likely be in place for the start of the 2027 season.
Tom Hart (left) will be Max Verstappen’s new race engineer - should he stay at Red Bull (Getty)
The specific start date for Hart’s new role depends on exactly when Lambiase joins McLaren and his period of gardening leave begins. Hart is expected, say Autosport, to stand in for Lambiase at various points in the 2026 season to gain more experience.
According to reports, Hart did look set to join Williams as Alex Albon’s new race engineer but that move has now been reversed.
Speaking about rumours regarding personnel moves – including chief engineer Paul Monaghan, who has been linked with Cadillac – Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said in Belgium: “If I look at the names that have been circulating in the last few months, most of them are still in the garage.
“Some had never wanted to leave, some have changed their mind and are staying with us.”
Hart will take over as race engineer regardless of Verstappen’s future, with the four-time world champion being linked with a move away from the team.
Verstappen is a lowly seventh in the drivers’ standings, 113 points off championship leader Kimi Antonelli, heading into this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix – the final race before the summer break.