Paul Monaghan

Paul Monaghan is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable engineers working in the paddock. His Formula One journey began soon after he had gained his Masters’ degree in Mechanical Engineering when he began working at McLaren in 1990. Working on the cars driven by the legendary Ayrton Senna and teammate Gerhard Berger had a big impact and Paul would spend the rest of the decade at the Woking team, eventually rising to the position of data engineer, working alongside two people who would both reappear later in his career: driver David Coulthard and Adrian Newey.

In 2000, seeking a new challenge, Paul moved from McLaren to the struggling Benetton squad, which was in the process of becoming the Renault F1 Team. Initially Paul worked as a performance engineer but in mid-season he took on the role of Race Engineer for Jenson Button. After Button moved on, Monaghan began working with Renault’s exciting new prospect Fernando Alonso. Paul recalls the period as “hugely exciting, very rewarding – and not without its disagreements.” It was also successful, with Alonso taking his first F1 victory with Monaghan on the pitwall.

After a brief spell at Jordan Grand Prix, Paul joined Red Bull Racing at the end of 2005. "You could tell straight away that there was a different philosophy within the team," he says. "It was one of 'right, we want to go and win this’, as opposed to just being in it and surviving. It was a breath of fresh air, a team that was clearly ambitious and serious – but with an element of fun to it."

Paul’s original title was Head of Race and Test Engineering. Over time this has transitioned into the role of Chief Engineer, Car Engineering, a position that sees him responsible for extracting maximum performance from the team’s machinery across a grand prix weekend and turning racing concepts into real-world performance gains.

As part of Aston Martin-Red Bull Racing’s senior technical management, Paul’s is not supposed to be a ‘hands-on’ role but more often than not he is to be found in the garage or the race bays, either deep in conversation with the team’s mechanics and trackside engineers, or staring intently at a detailed element of the car, willing the RB16 to give up its secrets.