Red Bull reportedly targets Tom McCullough to replace Lambiase

Red Bull identifies Aston Martin’s McCullough as Lambiase replacement

Red Bull is reportedly preparing to appoint Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough as its new head of race engineering, following Gianpiero Lambiase’s decision to leave the team for McLaren.

According to German publication BILD, McCullough has been identified as the preferred candidate to take charge of Red Bull’s trackside engineering operations. In the proposed role, he would oversee operational matters at the circuit and coordinate the engineers’ work during grand prix weekends.

The reported move would represent a significant change in Red Bull’s trackside structure, although it would also bring in an engineer with extensive experience of Formula 1 race operations. McCullough’s possible departure was first linked to reports of his impending exit from Aston Martin, where he is expected to leave at the end of the year.

A decade of experience at Aston Martin

McCullough has spent more than 10 years with the Silverstone-based organisation, working through its Force India, Racing Point and Aston Martin identities. He held several trackside performance positions before moving away from the team’s Formula 1 project.

His LinkedIn profile listed him as performance director for Aston Martin Performance Technologies at the time of that change. The breadth of his previous responsibilities, combined with his long association with the team, would make him a natural candidate for a senior operational position at Red Bull if the report proves accurate.

From Williams data engineer to senior trackside figure

Before joining the Silverstone outfit, McCullough worked at Williams as a data engineer before progressing to a race-engineering role. He worked with drivers including Nico Hulkenberg, Rubens Barrichello and Bruno Senna, then spent a brief period at Sauber as head of track engineering.

That background would give McCullough experience across data analysis, race engineering and the wider coordination required at the circuit — all central elements of the position described by BILD.

Lambiase’s move leaves a major vacancy

The speculation follows confirmation that Lambiase will leave Red Bull after a long association with Max Verstappen. On 9 April 2026, McLaren confirmed that Lambiase had signed as its chief racing officer and would join the Woking team in 2028, or earlier if possible.

Lambiase began his Formula 1 career as a data engineer at Jordan in 2005 and later became a race engineer when the team transitioned to Force India. He joined Red Bull in 2015, initially working with Daniil Kvyat before becoming Verstappen’s race engineer in 2016. He was promoted to head of racing in October 2024.

Red Bull’s reported interest in McCullough underlines the importance of finding an experienced trackside leader to fill that vacancy.