Senior Red Bull Engineer Still ‘Shocked’ After Christian Horner’s Departure
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Red Bull Racing’s chief engineer, Paul Monaghan, has played a key role within the team since its inception in 2005, and he was left shocked by the departure of former boss Christian Horner.
Horner hired Monaghan as a key official within Red Bull, developing several race-winning cars.
Red Bull won eight drivers’ titles and six constructors’ championships under Horner’s leadership.
Despite the achievement, after months full of controversy over the last couple of years, the successful team principal was removed from his post.
Red Bull Racing CEO and Team Principal Christian Horner eats his lunch on the deck of the hospitality suite with Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Consultant Dr Helmut Marko and Oracle Red Bull Racing Team… Red Bull Racing CEO and Team Principal Christian Horner eats his lunch on the deck of the hospitality suite with Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Consultant Dr Helmut Marko and Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Chief Engineer Paul Monaghan during the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on April 20, 2025 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Photo by Kym Illman/Getty Images
After a whirlwind series of events at the team, Monaghan addressed Horner’s departure.
“To tell the truth, it was a shock to me. Sad. Christian has put a large chunk of his working life into the team, and altogether as a team, we’ve enjoyed a huge amount of success, perhaps unwarranted to some views,” Monaghan told the media at the Belgian Grand Prix.
“But anyway. What is done is done. So thank you to Christian for everything he did, personally for me and for this team.
“Laurent’s got a difficult situation to be dropped in,” he said. “I’ve known him for many years. Very personable. Smart chap.
“So now it’s up to us to pull together as a team, because nine other teams can’t wait to fight us. So if we’re going to stand up to them, we’re going to have to stand as a team.
“We are prepared to stand as a team. Laurent is doing his utmost to ensure that is what we are aiming to do. And yeah, we’ll do so.”
Just last season, the chief engineer signed a contract extension which will see him stay at Milton Keynes, along with technical director Pierre Wache, head of aerodynamics Enrico Balbo, and head of performance engineering Ben Waterhouse.
Monaghan is a part of the Red Bull technical team, which is under fire for the car’s recent performances.
More news: Max Verstappen Backed Christian Horner Days Before Red Bull Sacking
The energy drink racing team dominated the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but midway through the 2024 season, McLaren made notable strides while the Red Bull car started to stagnate in terms of development.
This season, Max Verstappen is firmly out of the running for a title challenge, and the team’s other driver, Yuki Tsunoda, struggles to get the car consistently into Q3.
Assuming Monaghan stays for the post-Horner era, he will need to help turn around an engineering setback if the team wants to return to glory.
More news: Sebastian Vettel Provides Update On F1 Future Amid Red Bull Rumors
For more F1 news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
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