Red Bull names successor to Max Verstappen's race…

As expected, Red Bull will fill Gianpiero Lambiase's impending departure from within. Max Verstappen revealed a few weeks ago that he already had someone in mind within the team to succeed him, and that person has now emerged to be Tom Hart.

Following earlier reporting by Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Red Bull has now confirmed to Motorsport.com that Hart will indeed take over Lambiase's role as race engineer.

The British engineer initially appeared to be heading to Williams, where he was set to become Alex Albon's race engineer. However, Red Bull has managed to prevent that move. The team asked Williams to reverse the transfer, and an agreement has now been reached.

During the Austrian Grand Prix, Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies had already hinted at this development. When asked about the rumours surrounding chief engineer Paul Monaghan, who appears to be on his way to Cadillac, Mekies replied:

"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."

Those final words referred to Hart. Over the past few seasons, he has served as Verstappen's performance engineer, but this year he has taken on a different role covering both cars.

Tom Hart on the podium with Max Verstappen after the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool)

The exact date on which he will be promoted to the role of race engineer has not yet been determined, as it depends on when Lambiase's duties at Red Bull come to an end. Lambiase will join McLaren in 2028 as its chief racing officer, but he is expected to begin gardening leave before then.

As a result, Hart is expected to start as race engineer at the beginning of 2027 and will also stand in for Lambiase on several occasions during the second half of this season. To help ensure a smooth transition, Hart recently gained some experience in the role during Isack Hadjar's filming day at Silverstone.

Even if Verstappen decides to leave Red Bull, Hart will still take over as race engineer – in that scenario, however, for Verstappen's successor.

While Red Bull has succeeded in keeping Hart, Monaghan was once again absent from the Spa-Francorchamps race weekend amid the ongoing speculation surrounding his future.

A move to an "even more senior" role at Cadillac appears imminent, although he has not yet formally handed in his resignation at Red Bull. Monaghan also missed the British Grand Prix at Silverstone two weeks ago.