Rising Tides of Change at Red Bull
During the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, Paul Monaghan became the latest senior figure from Red Bull to be linked with a potential move away from the team based in Milton Keynes. The 58-year-old chief engineer is reportedly set to join Cadillac, according to reports. Although neither team has officially confirmed the details, sources within the paddock suggest there is some truth to the rumors.
This development is not isolated. Earlier this year, it was revealed that Max Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, will join McLaren in 2028. Previously, several other high-profile figures such as Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, Will Courtenay, and Rob Marshall have left for rival teams. Additionally, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have also departed from Red Bull.
Each departure is unique and influenced by various factors, including personal financial considerations. In Monaghan's case, the move could potentially lead to a more senior role within Cadillac’s engineering department.
Red Bull has not made any public comments on the situation, but insiders emphasize that the team has a succession plan in place for all senior figures, including Monaghan. This ensures that the team remains stable regardless of personnel changes.
“There are a lot of rumors about the team and the team personnel. And as much as we have commented on GP [Lambiase], because obviously he’s very exposed. He’s one of our very exposed engineers and he’s going into an even more exposed role, but I don’t think it will be right for me to comment on every single rumour that comes out,” Mekies said.
“If 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.”
The latter remark appears to refer, among other things, to speculation surrounding Hannah Schmitz, although the reports regarding Monaghan seem to carry far more substance.
Is There Enough Strength in Depth Left Within Red Bull?
While Red Bull does not want to discuss specific names at this stage, Mekies confirmed that, in his view, sufficient talent remains within the team for the future – even in the event of Monaghan’s departure.
“On that, I’m extremely confident,” Mekies said when asked by . “And I refer to the comment I made earlier what was the most striking aspect of the first 12 months. The most striking aspect is the strength in depth that we have.
“We have incredible talent at all levels and therefore we’ll certainly not go and look for an excuse to tell you we are missing A, B or C in order to go back to ultimate competitiveness. We have everything in-house.
“If we need something to complete the equation, we will do it, but we are certainly not limited by the quality of the talents we have.”
In practice, this means that Red Bull first looks to promote from within whenever senior figures leave. That was also the case earlier this year with chief performance and design engineer Ben Waterhouse.
For Max, Only a Fast Car Matters
Nevertheless, all changes within the team – combined with Red Bull’s current deficit on track – naturally raise the question of whether the team can do enough to convince Verstappen to remain beyond this season.
Mekies emphasizes that only one thing matters: the stopwatch.
In that regard, Red Bull’s upgrade package in Spielberg is of major importance, not least because Mekies acknowledges that under the budget cap Red Bull cannot introduce upgrades indefinitely.
“Max wants a fast car. He always wanted a fast car, and he completely trusts us in making sure we are doing everything we can, short term and long term, to ensure a return to success and continuous success,” Mekies replied.
“As I said a few weeks ago, we are not asking Max every week [if he stays]. He’s pushing with us, he’s helping us to find the right development path for the car, again this morning doing very large test scans through the sessions to try to turn all the stones possible. So, it’s not a topic for us.
“The topic for us is get the car back to where we want it to be. And as you may, I hope, agree, if the car is back where we want it to be, there will be no discussion.”
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