Red Bull has suffered another organisational blow as its head of race strategy, Will Courtenay, has been poached by F1 rival McLaren.
Courtenay, who will join McLaren as its sporting director, is the latest major move this year following the exits of Adrian Newey, who will be joining Aston Martin, and Jonathan Wheatley who will be heading to Sauber/Audi.
Courtenay has been with Red Bull for 20 years. In 2010, he was appointed to his current role. The move, however, will not take place until mid-2026.
McLaren states that Courtenay will report into racing director Randeep Singh, with the role designed to "help grow the team’s sporting operations as the team continues its pursuit of success" in F1.
Courtenay's wealth of experience "will add further depth to the team’s sporting operation and help drive performance within the racing team".
Team principal Andrea Stella said: “We are delighted to welcome Will to McLaren. His experience, professionalism and passion for motorsport make him the ideal candidate to lead our F1 sporting function.
"We are now entering a key phase in our journey as a team, and we are confident that he will be a great addition to our strong leadership team as we strive to continue challenging for wins and championships."
A Red Bull spokesperson has said the team is "sorry to see him leave after that long and successful time, but wish him all the best", further confirming that Courtenay "will remain part of the team until mid-2026".
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Feersumenjin
Good on Mac for scoring him. Covers off a needed defeciency in their operation. Wondering now if the ever so smug Horner who stuck it to Toto over all the hires he took from Merc is feeling any empathy?
Sundance98
*As the saying goes: "This is the one you get paid for.....Christian!" When you have a so-called mass departure....on your team, what happens is called "the Panic Mode" can create further departures. This is when Leadership has to actually Lead. Christian will have to test and vett every member of the team and assess their degree of Brand Loyalty. He could lose up to half the team until he restores Team Confidence. Interestingly, those that have departed will be under constant review in the months and years to come to test their NEW loyalty to McClaren, Ferrari, Mercedes or any other group.
Lilanopoulos
“Courtney will remain with RB until mid 2026”. How on earth will this work? Usually when you change an employer (in such a competitive field) you are told to box up your things and go …