Red Bull hire Aston Martin engineer McCullough as head of racing

Red Bull has hired former Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough to take on the role of head of racing from 2027. The 50-year-old British engineer is set to replace Gianpiero Lambiase, who is set to move to McLaren to become their chief racing officer by 2028. Red Bull expressed excitement about McCullough's wealth of experience and expertise when he begins his tenure at the start of 2027.

McCullough, a highly regarded figure in Formula One, spent over a decade at Aston Martin, through its various iterations as Force India and Racing Point. He previously worked at Williams and Sauber. In January 2025, a restructuring led to his transfer from the F1 race team to their performance technologies division. McCullough's new role oversees all aspects of the race team under team principal Laurent Mekies.

It remains to be seen if his appointment will facilitate negotiations for a settlement between Red Bull and McLaren, allowing Lambiase to depart earlier than previously planned. Lambiase is well-known for his direct and candid relationship with Max Verstappen, communicated through their team radio messages.