Red Bull has determined who will succeed Gianpiero Lambiase as head of race operations in Formula 1. The team has selected Tom McCullough, current performance director at Aston Martin and a central figure in the Silverstone technical setup, who is set to leave the team at the end of the 2026 season.
The report comes from German outlet BILD on Friday (7). The Briton originally joined Force India in early 2014 and remains one of the long-standing members who navigated the team’s transition following its purchase by the Lawrence Stroll-led consortium in 2018. Under the recent administrative restructuring led by Andy Cowell, McCullough also contributed to expanding Aston Martin Performance Technologies—the team’s engineering and consulting arm—into other motorsport disciplines.
Now, however, he is preparing to pack his bags for Milton Keynes ahead of a 2027 arrival, while Jonathan Wheatley, formerly of Audi, prepares to step into his shoes alongside Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. At Red Bull, McCullough will assume the role of head of race operations, taking over one of the core functions currently managed by Lambiase, who has signed with McLaren for 2028.
Crucially, Lambiase’s other role as Max Verstappen’s race engineer will be filled by Tom Hart, who reversed his decision to move to Williams specifically to work alongside the four-time World Champion.
Under the new arrangement, McCullough will oversee all trackside operational matters and coordinate the engineering team during Grand Prix weekends. The Briton becomes a key figurehead in Red Bull’s ongoing F1 restructuring process, which recently included the signing of former Mercedes manager Gwen Lagrue to head its driver academy.
Formula 1 is currently on summer break. The series resumes 2026 season action from August 21 to 23 with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.
