Long-time Aston Martin engineer Tom McCullough will depart the Silverstone-based Formula 1 team at the end of the current season, The Paddock News has learned from official sources. His next role has not been disclosed.
McCullough has spent more than a decade with the organization through its various incarnations — Force India, Racing Point and now Aston Martin — serving in multiple roles with a particular focus on trackside performance engineering. He was moved away from the F1 project at the start of 2025 as part of a broader senior leadership restructure, transitioning into a leadership position overseeing the expansion of the team’s racing activities beyond Formula 1. His trackside duties were assumed by Mike Krack, who took on the title of Chief Trackside Officer.
The departure marks the end of a significant chapter for both McCullough and the team. During his tenure, Force India secured back-to-back fourth-place finishes in the Constructors’ Championship in 2016 and 2017, and the squad claimed a maiden victory under the Racing Point banner in 2020, a season in which they also finished fourth overall.
McCullough’s Formula 1 career began at Williams in 2002, where he joined as a data engineer before progressing to a race engineer role. Over a decade at Williams, he worked alongside notable drivers including Nico Hulkenberg, Rubens Barrichello and Bruno Senna. He briefly served as Head of Track Engineering at Sauber in 2013 before returning to the UK to lead the trackside engineering operation at Force India.
Aston Martin currently sit 10th in the Teams’ Championship and are led by Adrian Newey, who holds the dual role of Team Principal and Managing Technical Partner. The team introduced a B-spec car at the most recent race in Hungary after running what was widely regarded as the slowest car on the grid for much of the season. The upgrade delivered a step forward in performance, allowing the team to compete within the midfield.
Further development is on the horizon for the struggling outfit. Aston Martin plan to debut additional chassis upgrades at Monza and Baku, while engine partner Honda will bring their first upgraded power unit of the season to the next race at Zandvoort.
McCullough’s exit adds to a period of significant transition at Aston Martin, which has undergone extensive restructuring of its technical and operational leadership since Newey’s arrival. His wealth of experience across multiple teams and eras of the sport will make him a sought-after figure on the paddock’s job market.