Red Bull braces for another major exit as Monaghan linked to Cadillac

The revolving door at Red Bull Racing may not have stopped spinning just yet.

A report emerged on Friday at the Austrian Grand Prix suggesting that long-serving chief engineer Paul Monaghan is poised to leave the Milton Keynes squad, with Cadillac mentioned as the strongest candidate for his next destination.

While neither team has confirmed the reports, the growing belief within the paddock is that the story carries significant weight.

If Monaghan does depart, it would mark yet another significant change in a period of unprecedented disruption for Red Bull. The team has already seen Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay move on, while Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have also exited the organisation.

Earlier this season, it also emerged that Max Verstappen's race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, is set to join McLaren in 2028.

Unlike some previous departures, however, Monaghan's reported move appears to be driven by the prospect of a more senior engineering role rather than dissatisfaction within Red Bull.

Mekies stands firm despite mounting questions

Team boss Laurent Mekies refused to be drawn into discussing Monaghan directly but acknowledged the wave of speculation surrounding Red Bull personnel.

"There are a lot of rumours about the team and the team personnel,” he told reporters.

“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.

"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."

Even so, Red Bull insiders insist succession plans are already in place for every senior position, with internal promotion remaining the preferred strategy.

The bigger picture: Can Red Bull keep Verstappen?

Whether Monaghan leaves or not, the perception of a team in transition continues to grow at a time when Red Bull is also fighting to regain its competitive edge.

Mekies remains adamant the technical foundations are still intact.

"On that, I’m extremely confident. 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,” he explained.

"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."

That confidence may soon face its toughest test. Under Formula 1's budget cap, Red Bull has only a limited number of opportunities to transform its car, making its latest upgrade package especially significant.

• Read also: Verstappen to McLaren? Bombshell report says talks took place!

Mekies insists there is only one priority when it comes to Verstappen's future.

"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,” the Frenchman made clear.

"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."

But if another cornerstone of Red Bull's championship-winning structure does head for the exit, questions about the team's long-term trajectory are unlikely to fade anytime soon.

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