Red Bull stems brain drain with two big signing; Verstappen cements McLaren link: Pit Talk

Red Bull Racing is reshaping its engineering team as it secures Max Verstappen’s next race engineer and addresses ongoing staff changes at Milton Keynes. Gianpiero Lambiase, long-time Verstappen race engineer, announced he will join McLaren by 2028, with Tom Hart—currently Verstappen’s race engineer since 2020 and at Red Bull since 2012—set to take over from 2027. Hart had reportedly accepted a Williams offer to become Alex Albon’s race engineer from 2027, but ESPN reported that an enhanced role at Red Bull convinced him to stay. Hart’s role depends on Verstappen remaining beyond the season, and he would also engineer Verstappen’s successor if the four-time champion leaves. The move follows a wider “brain drain,” including departures such as chief engineer Paul Monaghan and others, as contract escape clauses could become relevant after the Hungarian Grand Prix.