Red Bull Chief Engineer Paul Monaghan Set to Leave for Cadillac
Red Bull Racing chief engineer Paul Monaghan, 58, is set to leave the Milton Keynes team for F1 newcomer Cadillac, according to multiple paddock sources corroborated by ESPN and Motorsport.com. No departure date has been confirmed. Monaghan joined Red Bull in 2005 and contributed to every one of the team's constructors' championships. A gardening-leave period is expected to delay his Cadillac start until summer or autumn 2027.
Monaghan departure signals another shift at Red Bull
Red Bull Racing chief engineer Paul Monaghan is preparing to leave the team for F1 newcomer Cadillac, with multiple outlets reporting the move during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend at the Red Bull Ring. Sources told ESPN that Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan is set to leave the team, with his likely destination being Cadillac. [1] Motorsport.com independently understands from sources in the paddock that there is substance behind the story. [2]
Monaghan continues to serve as Red Bull Racing's chief engineer, and although multiple well-placed sources have confirmed his intention to leave, the formal exit process has yet to begin. [3] Monaghan is at the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend with Red Bull, and the date of his exit is currently unknown. [1] RacingNews365 approached both Red Bull Racing and Cadillac for comment, but neither team wished to comment on the matter. [3]
A career built on Red Bull's title-winning era
After a brief stint at Jordan Grand Prix, Monaghan joined Red Bull Racing at the end of 2005, where he was initially appointed Head of Race and Test Engineering before transitioning into the role of Chief Engineer, Car Engineering. [1] He contributed to every single championship-winning campaign the team enjoyed, including the four consecutive titles by Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen's dominant era. [1] Earlier in his career, he helped Fernando Alonso secure his maiden F1 victory at the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix, before a brief stint at Jordan led him to Red Bull in 2005. [1]
According to sources, the 58-year-old will join F1 newcomer Cadillac, where he is expected to take up a senior leadership role within the team's engineering department. [3] The Briton is expected to serve a period of gardening leave, meaning that even if he departs at the end of the 2026 season, he is unlikely to begin work at Cadillac before the summer or autumn of 2027. [3]
Red Bull responds; team depth questioned
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies addressed the reports during the FIA team representatives' press conference at the Red Bull Ring on Friday. Mekies said: "There is a lot of rumours about the team and the team personnel," adding that he did not feel it would be right to comment on every individual report as it would not be fair to the people concerned. [4] 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. [2]
Previously, Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, Will Courtenay and Rob Marshall all left for rival teams, while Red Bull itself has parted ways with Christian Horner and Helmut Marko. [2] Earlier this year, it also became clear that Max Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will join McLaren in 2028. [2]
:::analysis Monaghan's prospective departure is notable less for the role he holds today than for the institutional knowledge he carries. He has been present through every phase of Red Bull's championship-building, from the early Adrian Newey years through to the Verstappen era. For Cadillac, which is still constructing its F1 operation from the ground up, a figure with that breadth of experience represents a significant acquisition. For Red Bull, the cumulative effect of so many senior departures in a short period raises legitimate questions about continuity of culture and technical decision-making, even if the team retains strong in-house depth at other levels. :::
Related reading
[1]: ESPN, "Red Bull and Max Verstappen set to have another key figure leave the team - sources," accessed 2026-06-26. https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/49173895/austrian-grand-prix-formula-1-red-bull-max-verstappen-set-another-key-figure-leave-team-sources [2]: Motorsport.com, "Red Bull confident of keeping Max Verstappen despite Paul Monaghan exit rumours," accessed 2026-06-26. https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/red-bull-confident-of-keeping-max-verstappen-despite-paul-monaghan-exit-rumours/10833626/ [3]: RacingNews365, "Exclusive: Key Red Bull figure set to leave F1 team," accessed 2026-06-26. https://racingnews365.com/exclusive-key-red-bull-figure-set-to-leave-f1-team [4]: Crash.net, "Red Bull tight-lipped amid rumours Max Verstappen could lose another key F1 figure," accessed 2026-06-26. https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1099454/1/red-bull-f1-team-addresses-rumours-max-verstappen-could-lose-another-key-figure
- [1]Red Bull and Max Verstappen set to have another key figure leave the team - sources (espn). Accessed 2026-06-26.
- [2]Red Bull confident of keeping Max Verstappen despite Paul Monaghan exit rumours (motorsport). Accessed 2026-06-26.
- [3]Exclusive: Key Red Bull figure set to leave F1 team (racingnews365). Accessed 2026-06-26.
- [4]Red Bull tight-lipped amid rumours Max Verstappen could lose another key F1 figure (crash). Accessed 2026-06-26.