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Hart had reportedly accepted an offer from Williams to become Alex Albon\u2019s race engineer from 2027, but ESPN has reported the offer of an enhanced position at Red Bull Racing has convinced the Briton to reverse course and stick with Milton Keynes for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n
Hart will become Verstappen\u2019s race engineer if the Dutchman also remains with the team beyond the end of the season. He will become the engineer for Verstappen\u2019s successor should the four-time champion quit the team.<\/p>\n
The move stems a growing brain drain from Milton Keynes in recent years, with Lambiase among the highest profile departures from Red Bull Racing as the team declines from its latest championship-winning era.<\/p>\n
McLaren announced in April that it had poached Lambiase from Red Bull Racing, where he\u2019s been Verstappen\u2019s race engineer since the Dutchman joined the team in 2016.<\/p>\n
Lambiase has also been the team\u2019s head of racing since 2025 in an extraordinary dual occupation arranged mostly to keep him partnered with Verstappen.<\/p>\n
The head of racing position has yet to be filled.<\/p>\n
Hart is well liked on Verstappen\u2019s side of the garage, and what had been though to be his impending departure had been considered a potential factor in the decision-making over the Dutchman\u2019s future, particularly in parallel with Lambiase\u2019s confirmed defection.<\/p>\n
That the Briton has changed his mind could decrease the chance of Verstappen triggering the escape clause in his contract, which will become available to him after this weekend\u2019s Hungarian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also a win for Red Bull Racing, which has struggled to retain some of its highest profile staff.<\/p>\n
Just last month the team lost chief engineer Paul Monaghan, who is reportedly now on gardening leave ahead of a move to Cadillac in a higher role.<\/p>\n
Reports of Monaghan\u2019s move followed news of the pending departure of Lambiase (McLaren) and the exits of chief designers Rob Marshall (McLaren) and Craig Skinner (resigned), chief mechanic Lee Stevenson (Audi), Verstappen front-end mechanic Ole Schack (resigned) chief technical officer Adrian Newey (Aston Martin), sporting director Jonathan Wheatley (Audi, since resigned), head of strategy Will Courtenay (McLaren), team principal Christian Horner (dismissed), motorsport adviser Helmut Marko (retired).<\/p>\n
At the time Monaghan\u2019s move was reported, Red Bull Racing boss Laurent Mekies denied his team was struggling to retain staff.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of rumours about the team and the team personnel,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think it will be right for me to comment on every single rumour that comes out.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I look at the names that have been circulating in the last few months, most of them are still in the garage. Some had never wanted to leave. Some have changed their mind and are staying with us.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is nothing more important to us than making sure we are in a position to keep our talents and to attract the ones we need, and that remains the highest priority.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hamilton smashes the wall in P3! | 01:08<\/p>\n
RED BULL RACING NABS MERCEDES DRIVER SCOUT<\/p>\n
Red Bull Racing has poached Mercedes driver scout Gwen Lagrue to replace former motorsport adviser Helmut Marko as the head of its driver development program.<\/p>\n
According to the BBC, Red Bull Racing and Mercedes are locked in negotiations over when Lagrue will be able to switch teams.<\/p>\n
Frenchman Lagrue, 50 years old, heads the Mercedes scouting team that unearthed title leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli when the young gun was still racing karts at 11 years old. The Italian was subsequently inducted into the Mercedes driver program and backed during his junior career until he made his Formula 1 debut as an 18-year-old last season.<\/p>\n
His first signing was George Russell following the Briton\u2019s well-recounted personal approach to team boss Toto Wolff with a PowerPoint presentation outlining why he should be signed by the German auto giant.<\/p>\n
Haas driver Esteban Ocon is also a former Mercedes development driver, as is former Manor and Sauber driver Pascal Wehrlein, the 2023\u201324 Formula E champion and 2015 DTM title-winner.<\/p>\n
Australian karter James Anagnostiadis joined the Mercedes program in 2024 on Lagrue\u2019s watch<\/a>.<\/p>\n