Max Verstappen is reportedly set to get a new Formula 1 race engineer for certain races in 2026, as Gianpiero Lambiase prepares to depart for his new role at McLaren.
Lambiase is the latest in a long line of Red Bull departures in recent times, relinquishing his role as Head of Racing at the Milton Keynes outfit to take up a similar position at McLaren.
His exact departure date is not yet known, but he will start his role no later than 2028, and with F1 teams eager to keep their secrets, Lambiase will likely face an extended period of gardening leave in the not so distant future.
Lambiase will already be likely excluded from certain engineering meetings, and the plan to replace him will already be under discussion.
The question of who will replace Lambiase is a complex one, but the F1 world may now have an answer as to who will take up this vital role.
New Max Verstappen race engineer revealed?
According to De Telegraaf, Verstappen’s new engineer is to be Tom Hart. The Briton served as Verstappen’s performance engineer before taking a new role that looks after both Verstappen and teammate Isack Hadjar.
Hart was reportedly set to leave Red Bull at the end of the year, with Williams as his destination. However, according to De Telegraaf, this has been cancelled, and Hart will now take over the role of race engineer to one of F1’s most powerful drivers.
When Lambiase is inevitably placed on a year’s gardening leave before his transition to McLaren, the reports suggest Hart will take over Lambiase’s duties. However, at certain races in 2026, Hart could now be the voice heard over Verstappen’s radio in order for the two to build a new working relationship.
While known to each other, the race engineer role will change the dynamic of Verstappen and Hart considerably. While a performance engineer works largely away from the spotlight, focused on the car itself, a race engineer becomes the public face of that relationship, the voice a driver hears in his ear on every lap of every session.
A performance engineer’s role centres on preparing the car rather than communicating with the driver in real time, working alongside the race engineer to translate data into car balance changes, tyre strategy input and set-up direction across a race weekend. A role based on numbers and preparation, it is far from the split-second communication required from race engineers.
A race engineer is a complete contrast, manages the relationship with the driver, translating what is often terse, high-pressure radio traffic into actionable instructions for the garage, while also fielding the driver’s frustrations, doubts and instincts in real time.
It is as much a role built on trust and man-management as it is on technical understanding, which is why Verstappen has previously suggested his future in the sport could be tied to Lambiase remaining in the seat beside him.
Hart’s move from performance engineer to race engineer therefore represents a significant shift in responsibility and, more importantly, dynamic. It signals a shift from data-led preparation to becoming the trusted voice guiding Verstappen through every lap of a Grand Prix weekend. That kind of relationship is forged over many months, and no matter the history of the working relationship, will require trust shared by very few in the F1 paddock.
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