Cadillac F1 set to strengthen engineering team with Red Bull’s Monaghan

Cadillac is set to add Red Bull’s chief engineer for car engineering Paul Monaghan to its Formula 1 team, as it strengthens its race operations.

Monaghan (main image) has been part of the Red Bull set-up for the past 20 years, and has led the team’s car engineering team through a number of world championship successes, in addition to previous experience at McLaren and then Renault.

Speculation that Monaghan would become the latest high-profile departure from Red Bull ramped up during the previous weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, during which Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies specifically declined to comment on Monaghan’s situation. 

“There are a lot of rumors about the team and the team personnel,” Mekies said at the time. “And as much as we have commented on GP [McLaren-bound Gianpero Lambiase, Red Bull's head of racing and Max Verstappen's race engineer], because obviously he’s very exposed – he’s one of our very exposed engineers and he’s going into an even more exposed role – I don’t think it will be right for me to comment on every single rumor 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. So, I don’t think it will be fair for our people through the ranks that I start commenting about these guys.”

RACER understands that it is Cadillac that has managed to secure Monaghan’s services, providing him with a new challenge at the American team that is currently tackling its first season in F1.

A start date has yet to be agreed between the two teams, and Monaghan could face a long spell of gardening leave before he is allowed to join Cadillac after having been trackside for Red Bull as recently as the Red Bull Ring.