Tom Hart will step in as Max Verstappen’s race engineer for three of the remaining 2026 races, starting at the United States Grand Prix.
The trial runs mark the beginning of a handover process ahead of Hart replacing GianPiero Lambiase full-time for the 2027 campaign.
Lambiase, who has engineered Verstappen since 2016, announced earlier this year that he will leave Red Bull to join McLaren as Chief Racing Officer no later than 2028.
Hart chose to stay at Red Bull over a move to Williams and previously completed practice trial sessions with Verstappen at Monza.
Under Red Bull’s transitional plan, Hart will manage the pit wall in Austin, Brazil, and Las Vegas, while Lambiase will remain on-site before taking back race engineering duties for Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
The transition comes amid technical struggles for the duo, who dealt with faulty team radio communications during Verstappen’s recent victory in Singapore.
“Maybe he was happy that it was not working! I couldn’t really say anything,” Verstappen joked regarding Lambiase after the race.
“He did try at one point to ask me a few things in code and I think he understood well what I meant or did not do. But it’s never nice. I’ve been having difficulty with my radio already the whole season and this weekend has been particularly bad.”
While McLaren Chief Executive Zak Brown remains optimistic about securing an early release for Lambiase next year, Red Bull is proceeding with its structured handover to ensure a seamless transition for Verstappen.
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