Red Bull’s personnel exodus reaches the garage as Cadillac targets mechanics

Red Bull’s transition deepens

Red Bull’s loss of senior personnel has been well documented. However, the scale of the disruption now appears to extend beyond the leadership group, with departures reportedly affecting the team’s garage operation as well.

Paul Monaghan is also set to join Cadillac, although that move has not yet been officially confirmed. The development adds to the sense of a team undergoing a substantial restructuring. Red Bull’s handling of Horner’s dismissal remains a separate point of debate, as explored in our analysis of the calls for his Formula 1 return.

Cadillac’s Red Bull connection grows

Wheatley effectively oversaw Red Bull’s mechanics in his role as sporting director, but the team did not directly replace him. It remains unclear whether his departure has contributed to the number of garage staff now moving on.

Long-serving mechanic Ole Schack left last year, citing a change in the working atmosphere. Matt Caller, who had worked on Max Verstappen’s car, has joined Audi, while former colleague Calum Nicholas has moved into a media role.

According to journalist Roberto Chinchero, speaking on Motorsport.com’s Italian YouTube channel, Cadillac has been especially active in recruiting Red Bull mechanics. Those personnel are expected to reunite with Monaghan once he completes his gardening leave.

“They’ve lost key figures: Adrian Newey, Christian Horner, Jonathan Wheatley, Paul Monaghan, people are talking about it,” Chinchero said.

He added: “But I’ll tell you, when I walk past the Cadillac garage, it looks like half the Red Bull garage is in there. If they’re all former Red Bull mechanics, replacing people like that isn’t easy at all.”

Performance pressure adds urgency

Red Bull is clearly in a period of profound transition, and its results arguably reflect that instability. Although the team’s first in-house engine has exceeded expectations, Red Bull sits fourth in the constructors’ standings as the summer break approaches.

That leaves its run of 10 consecutive seasons finishing in the top three at risk. Chinchero’s assessment is blunt: “The blow has already been felt, and more is to come. But that’s only natural.”