Red Bull’s ‘Brilliant’ Signing Sparks Aston Martin Backlash as…….
Red Bull have received plenty of praise for securing the services of Tom McCullough, but one leading F1 voice believes Aston Martin may come to regret letting the highly-rated engineer leave.
McCullough is set to depart Aston Martin at the end of the 2026 season and join Red Bull from 2027, taking up the position of Head of Racing. The move is another significant piece of Red Bull’s rebuilding project as the team prepares for a new chapter.
The 50-year-old Briton has built an impressive reputation during his time in Formula 1, having previously worked with Williams, Sauber and Force India before becoming a key figure at Aston Martin.
His arrival at Red Bull is expected to help fill some of the responsibilities currently handled by Gianpiero Lambiase, who is set to leave the team for McLaren by 2028. Meanwhile, Tom Hart is expected to step into the role of Max Verstappen’s race engineer.
Windsor questions Aston Martin decision
Former F1 team manager and respected analyst Peter Windsor believes Red Bull have made an excellent decision by bringing McCullough to Milton Keynes.
However, he was far less impressed with Aston Martin’s decision to allow the experienced engineer to move on.
Windsor explained on YouTube that he had previously questioned Aston Martin’s decision to move McCullough away from his former position within the team.
He described McCullough as a “very talented engineer” with an excellent understanding of racing and compared his qualities to those of former Red Bull technical figure Rob Marshall.
Windsor added that McCullough’s move to Red Bull was “brilliant” and argued that Aston Martin could ultimately regret allowing such an important member of their technical operation to leave.
The analyst also suggested that the appointment could be another major factor in keeping Verstappen committed to Red Bull, although he stressed that it would not be the only reason behind the Dutchman’s decision to remain with the team.
Red Bull continue to rebuild around Verstappen
McCullough’s appointment represents another major step in Red Bull’s attempt to rebuild its senior structure around Verstappen.
The team has experienced a huge turnover of experienced personnel over the past two years, with Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, Helmut Marko, Jonathan Wheatley and Rob Marshall among the major names to depart. Lambiase’s impending exit adds another significant change to the list.
Red Bull have nevertheless begun bringing in fresh expertise. Verstappen has committed his future to the team with a contract extension running through 2030, while highly regarded talent scout Gwen Lagrue has also been recruited from Mercedes.
Those moves appear designed to convince Verstappen that Red Bull can return to the front of the grid and provide him with another championship-winning package.
A difficult 2026 campaign
The need for a rebuild has been highlighted by Red Bull’s struggles during the 2026 season.
The team currently sits fourth in the Constructors’ Championship with 186 points, well behind leaders Mercedes on 425. Ferrari are second on 338, while McLaren occupy third with 263.
Verstappen has also found himself down in sixth in the Drivers’ Championship, a far cry from the dominant form Red Bull enjoyed during their previous championship-winning seasons.
With McCullough now set to join the operation, Red Bull will hope his experience can help accelerate their recovery.
For Aston Martin, however, the decision to let one of their highly regarded engineers walk away could eventually prove to be one they wish they had reconsidered.
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