Red Bull Appoints Tom McCullough as Head of Racing for 2027

Red Bull has appointed former Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough as its head of racing, with the British engineer due to begin the role at the start of 2027. BBC Sport reported the move on Tuesday, describing McCullough as a highly respected Formula 1 figure. Red Bull said it was looking forward to the experience and expertise he will bring to the team.

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The 50-year-old will replace Gianpiero Lambiase, who is set to join McLaren as chief racing officer. The timing of Lambiase’s departure has not been fixed beyond an indication that the move will happen by 2028, leaving the precise transition between the two senior appointments unresolved.

McCullough arrives with experience across several Formula 1 organizations. He spent more than a decade with the operation now known as Aston Martin, including its earlier periods competing as Force India and Racing Point. Before that long spell, he also worked for Williams and Sauber.

His position at Aston Martin changed during a restructuring in January 2025. McCullough was moved away from the Formula 1 race team and into the company’s performance technologies division. His new Red Bull assignment will return him to a senior role focused directly on the racing operation.

According to BBC Sport, the head of racing position effectively carries responsibility for all aspects of Red Bull’s race team beneath team principal Laurent Mekies. The appointment therefore places McCullough in a central operational post when he joins, although Red Bull’s announcement did not provide further details about the handover.

One question that remains open is whether McCullough’s confirmed 2027 arrival will affect discussions over an earlier release for Lambiase. BBC Sport said it remains unclear whether Red Bull and McLaren will reach a settlement that allows him to switch teams sooner than currently stated. Lambiase is also Max Verstappen’s race engineer and has become widely associated with the driver through their direct team-radio exchanges. For now, McCullough’s start date is confirmed while the schedule for Lambiase’s move remains unspecified.