Red Bull faces a new challenge as an important team member is leaving during a time of uncertainty with Max Verstappen.
Red Bull Racing has just faced another setback, as their chief engineer Paul Monaghan is expected to leave his position. This comes during a tough time for the Austrian team, who have struggled at the start of the Formula 1 season.
Max Verstappen is currently in seventh place in the standings after finishing fourth at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. At 28 years old, he’s already 101 points behind the leader Kimi Antonelli and 60 points behind Lewis Hamilton, who is second after seven races.
Red Bull will be hoping to turn things around at the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend. After that, there are races in Britain, Belgium, and Hungary before the summer break. Verstappen’s contract with Red Bull reportedly includes an option for him to end the deal early if he’s not in the top two by the summer break. While this is just a possibility right now, it’s not out of the question that he might consider it if the team continues to fall behind. He has said before that he plans to stay with Red Bull until 2028, but that could change if they keep losing ground to their rivals.
To make things harder, ESPN reports that Paul Monaghan might be heading to Cadillac. Monaghan has been with Red Bull since 2005 and has been an important part of the team’s success. Losing him now would be a big challenge during an already uncertain time.
Monaghan is one of the few people left from Red Bull’s dominant era between 2010 and 2014, but he may be the latest high-profile departure. Last month, Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase announced he’s joining McLaren. Former team boss Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko left in 2025, while design expert Adrian Newey moved to Aston Martin and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley left for Audi in 2024.
When asked about these changes, Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies said, “Most of those names are still with us in the garage. Some never planned to leave, some changed their minds, and some are staying. It wouldn’t be fair to comment on every rumor. Paul is actually here today and worked hard to get our car ready. Our biggest focus is making sure we keep the team balanced and attract the right people. That remains our top priority.”