0
Red Bull have successfully retained chief engineer Paul Monaghan after presenting a counter offer to prevent his departure to Cadillac, according to Spanish journalist Antonio Lobato. The move represents a rare recruitment victory for the Milton Keynes team following a sustained exodus of senior technical personnel over the past 18 months.Monaghan, one of the longest-serving and most influential figures in Red Bull's technical department, had been widely expected to join Cadillac as the American manufacturer prepares its 2026 Formula 1 entry.
Lobato, speaking on the SoyMotor YouTube channel, stated that Red Bull intervened with a financial package to reverse the transfer. The retention carries particular weight given the team has already lost Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, Rob Marshall, and most recently Gianpiero Lambiase, Max Verstappen's race engineer, who has announced his intention to leave.Monaghan's role amid technical strugglesMonaghan holds the title of chief engineer for car engineering at Red Bull and has been integral to the technical direction of the RB series since the team's championship-winning years began in 2010. His expertise spans aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics, and race engineering, making him a foundational figure in the operation that delivered three consecutive constructors' titles from 2010 to 2013 and again in 2022 and 2023.
Lobato framed the retention against the backdrop of Red Bull's current performance difficulties. "Red Bull are just scraping through," he said. "They have the best car there, but the car is a disaster. I mean, that car is sometimes undriveable. It's the car that drives the beast Max Verstappen to despair." The RB20 has shown persistent handling imbalances this season, particularly in high-speed corners and over kerbs, issues that have visibly frustrated Verstappen in multiple sessions.Verstappen frustration reaches critical point.
Lobato also claimed that Red Bull deliberately shielded Verstappen from media duties following qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where the Dutchman crashed for the third time in a single session. "I heard that Red Bull had to pull him away from the press on Saturday in Hungary after qualifying and his third crash in a session, because he was so furious and they didn't want him to say more," Lobato said.The journalist warned that Verstappen's patience may be finite. "They have to be careful, because if the performance of this car doesn't improve, Max could get very, very angry." With Ferrari and McLaren closing the performance gap and Mercedes showing flashes of competitiveness, Red Bull's ability to retain both technical leadership and driver confidence will define whether the team can stabilise its trajectory ahead of the 2026 regulation reset.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
I. Hadjar
A. Antonelli
C. Leclerc
686 members have this team as their favourite
Replies (0)
Login to reply