Max Verstappen confirmed one of the most important behind-the-scenes changes in Formula 1 in the coming years. The four-time champion confirmed that Tom Hart will be Gianpiero Lambiase’s successor as his race engineer at Red Bull Racing, ending one of the most well-known partnerships on the grid.
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The confirmation was made before the Hungarian GP and puts an end to speculations that gained strength during the Belgian GP weekend. Although the exact date for the transition has not yet been set, Verstappen indicated that Hart will increasingly take on a more relevant role alongside him.
Lambiase, known in the paddock as ‘GP’, has worked with Verstappen since the Dutchman’s arrival at Red Bull. However, the partnership is nearing its end, as the engineer will leave the team to join McLaren by 2028 at the latest.
Hart, in turn, has worked for several years as the Dutch driver’s performance engineer. According to the information released, he was even considered for a move to Williams but chose to remain at Red Bull and take on a new role.
“We knew ‘GP’ was leaving. So we thought a lot about what we wanted to do,” Verstappen said in an interview with Viaplay. “I had the feeling that Tom really wanted to stay, but in a different role.”
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The Red Bull driver revealed that conversations about this possibility began around the Miami GP: “You start asking what he thinks of this or that idea. I already noticed that he was getting enthusiastic. We just need to define the right time to start involving Tom more intensely,” he added.
Verstappen also explained what characteristics he considers fundamental in a race engineer. For him, the role requires more than technical knowledge and the ability to interpret data.
“There are many good engineers, but I always thought you shouldn’t be overly nerdy. You need to understand racing itself. Just staring at a laptop, I can do that myself. You need to have the ability to interpret situations correctly, the way ‘GP’ does,” he concluded.
Despite the confirmation, Red Bull has not yet defined when Hart will officially take over the position. Until then, Lambiase will continue working alongside Verstappen, keeping active a partnership that helped build one of the most victorious trajectories in the recent era of Formula 1.
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