Red Bull's Monaghan set to join Cadillac in latest blow to Milton Keynes exodus

Paul Monaghan, Red Bull’s chief engineer of car engineering, is set to depart for Cadillac’s Formula 1 team, with the move understood to be effectively agreed — though no formal resignation has yet been submitted to the Milton Keynes outfit.

Monaghan has been carrying out his duties as normal in the Red Bull garage this weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix, with the final procedural step of an official resignation still outstanding. Reports linking him to a potential exit had intensified on the eve of the Spielberg weekend, and those rumours were effectively confirmed at the circuit, with Cadillac emerging as his confirmed destination and ruling out speculation connecting him to other teams.

His departure would represent a significant further blow to a Red Bull operation already navigating a notable personnel exodus. The exits of team principal Christian Horner and design chief Adrian Newey set the tone, and a major restructuring of the team’s technical organisation is currently under way. Losing Monaghan — one of the longest-serving and most respected figures at the team — would deepen that instability at a sensitive moment. The continuing drain of key personnel has been cited as a source of concern for Max Verstappen as scrutiny of his long-term future at the team grows.

Monaghan joined Red Bull in 2005 and became one of the technical cornerstones of an era that produced 14 F1 world championships. Though less visible publicly than some colleagues, his influence on the car engineering side was substantial throughout the Christian Horner years.

His career in Formula 1 stretches back to 1990, when he joined McLaren after completing a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. He worked as a data engineer alongside Ayrton Senna, Gerhard Berger and David Coulthard before leaving for Benetton in 2000, where he was part of the team during Fernando Alonso’s early F1 seasons. A spell at Jordan followed before his move to the newly formed Red Bull team.

Cadillac, the American outfit preparing for its F1 entry, has built much of its technical base by recruiting from UK-based teams. Alongside Monaghan, the team has drawn mechanics and trackside staff from Red Bull and several other paddock operations. Finding a replacement of comparable experience and institutional knowledge will present a considerable challenge for Red Bull as it works to restabilise its engineering structure.