Max Verstappen will begin a three-race spell working with Tom Hart at the 2026 United States Grand Prix as Red Bull starts its gradual transition away from long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase. Tom Hart will take over race-engineering duties for Max Verstappen in Austin, São Paulo and Las Vegas, giving the British engineer an important first opportunity to step into one of the most significant roles inside the Red Bull garage.
For years, Gianpiero Lambiase has been far more than simply a race engineer for Max Verstappen. Gianpiero Lambiase has been Max Verstappen’s main technical reference point, the voice capable of managing even his most heated reactions and one of the very few people inside Red Bull with enough authority to stand up to him when necessary. Their relationship became so closely associated with Red Bull’s success that, when news emerged of Gianpiero Lambiase’s future move to McLaren, many interpreted the decision as a possible precursor to Max Verstappen eventually following him to Woking.
Max Verstappen begins Red Bull’s transition away from Gianpiero Lambiase
The picture changed after Max Verstappen extended his Red Bull contract through 2030. Gianpiero Lambiase’s decision could then be viewed in a different context, particularly because the Italian-British engineer is set to take up the position of Chief Racing Officer at McLaren rather than simply continuing in an equivalent race-engineering role.
Even so, the separation remains striking given how important the partnership between Max Verstappen and Gianpiero Lambiase has been in delivering the Dutch driver’s four Formula 1 World Championships. Now, at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, the first concrete stage of the post-Lambiase era will begin. Max Verstappen will hear a different voice over the radio, with Tom Hart selected by Red Bull as the engineer expected to inherit the responsibilities of one of modern Formula 1’s most successful driver-engineer partnerships.
This is not yet a permanent change. Tom Hart will also work with Max Verstappen at the São Paulo and Las Vegas Grands Prix, while Gianpiero Lambiase will continue as Max Verstappen’s race engineer in Mexico, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. The arrangement represents a gradual transition, with Gianpiero Lambiase remaining fully involved within Red Bull through his wider responsibilities as Head of Racing.
Who is Tom Hart, Max Verstappen’s new race engineer?
Tom Hart already knows Red Bull extremely well because he has spent his entire Formula 1 career with the Milton Keynes team. Tom Hart joined Red Bull in July 2012 as an intern in the race engineering department before working as a simulator performance engineer from 2014 until 2019. In January 2020, Tom Hart moved permanently into a trackside role.
Since then, Tom Hart has worked directly within Max Verstappen’s technical group, collaborating with Gianpiero Lambiase on data analysis and car set-up. During the 2026 Formula 1 season, Tom Hart was promoted to Senior Performance Engineer, expanding his responsibilities across both Red Bull cars. Tom Hart has also already gained experience performing race-engineering duties during selected free practice sessions, tests and filming days.
That experience means Red Bull is not introducing an unfamiliar figure into Max Verstappen’s side of the garage. Tom Hart already understands the driver, the engineering group and the working methods that have developed around Max Verstappen over several seasons. More coverage of the four-time World Champion can be found in the Max Verstappen Formula 1 news archive.
Tom Hart almost left Red Bull for Williams
Intriguingly, Tom Hart came close to leaving Red Bull during 2026. Williams considered recruiting Tom Hart to become Alex Albon’s race engineer, but the proposed move ultimately did not materialise. That outcome now allows Red Bull to entrust Max Verstappen to an engineer who has known both the Dutch driver and his methods of working for several years.
Tom Hart is therefore the designated successor to Gianpiero Lambiase, although a definitive full-time appointment for 2027 has not yet been formally announced. Much will depend on exactly when Gianpiero Lambiase is able to begin his new role with McLaren. His arrival in Woking is expected no later than 2028, although the switch could potentially take place earlier.
For Red Bull, the final races of the 2026 season will therefore provide an important opportunity to manage the handover gradually rather than replacing such an influential figure overnight. For Max Verstappen, Austin represents the first significant test of a new working relationship as Tom Hart begins the task of inheriting the role Gianpiero Lambiase has occupied throughout one of Formula 1’s most successful modern partnerships.
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