Ralf Schumacher suggests Monaghan could be next Red Bull figure to leave

Schumacher raises fresh Red Bull exit concern

Former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher has suggested that Paul Monaghan, Red Bull’s chief engineer for car engineering, could become the next senior figure to leave the team as its once-dominant structure continues to fragment.

Red Bull has already been hit by a sequence of high-profile departures in recent years, with Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley and Helmut Marko among the major names to have exited. Max Verstappen’s long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase is also set to join McLaren in 2028, further loosening the core group that underpinned Red Bull’s championship-winning period in the early 2020s.

Speaking on the Backstage Boxengasse podcast, Schumacher said Monaghan’s future is now being discussed within the paddock narrative.

“That’s what you hear, anyway,” Schumacher said. “I’m not exactly on top of the situation, of course.”

Monaghan’s comments caught Schumacher’s attention

Schumacher pointed to Monaghan’s recent public tone as significant, particularly in the way he appeared to offer balance around Verstappen’s criticism of Red Bull’s current situation.

“What struck me most was that he spoke out quite emphatically, not against Max Verstappen,” Schumacher said. “But he did offer some counterbalance [to Verstappen's criticisms] by saying: ‘We know Max a bit, and the situation isn’t actually that bad. You do have to put it in the right context’.”

For Schumacher, the moment stood out because it marked a rare instance of an official Red Bull representative pushing back, even partially, against the tone surrounding Verstappen’s concerns.

“That was the first time an official representative had dared to speak out against it to any extent,” he added.

Monaghan has been part of Red Bull for almost as long as the team has been on the Formula 1 grid, working through periods of major success with Verstappen and, before him, Sebastian Vettel. His potential departure would therefore carry weight beyond a simple personnel change.

Red Bull’s current performance dip at the start of the new regulation cycle has intensified scrutiny, alongside renewed uncertainty over Verstappen’s future. The wider competitive picture has also kept Red Bull under the microscope, with recent coverage noting that Red Bull’s Austria upgrade will not close the RB22 gap to its main rivals.

Schumacher says Marko’s absence is being felt

Schumacher believes Red Bull would look more stable if Marko still had influence in the garage.

“Above all, it shows who’s missing, and I can’t say it often enough, it's Dr Helmut Marko,” Schumacher said. “He used to fill that role. He stood firmly behind the team, but also behind the drivers. He set clear boundaries, provided clear information, and provided direction.”

He added that Marko handled significant work behind the scenes, from problem-solving to placing the right people in key roles.

“All of that is gone now,” Schumacher said. “On top of that, a new corporate structure has emerged since the passing of Dietrich Mateschitz.”