Will Courtenay Leaves Red Bull to Join McLaren

Will Courtenay, Red Bull’s head of race strategy will leave the team after 14 years to join McLaren as sporting director. His departure marks the third senior figure to leave Red Bull in five months, further reflecting McLaren’s ongoing restructuring. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella praised Courtenay’s experience, calling him the “ideal candidate” to lead the team’s sporting operations during a critical phase of their development.

At McLaren, Courtenay will report to racing director Randeep Singh aiming to enhance the team’s sporting function. Although Red Bull expects Courtenay to stay until his contract ends in mid-2026, typical industry negotiations could result in his earlier departure. McLaren’s overhaul began in December 2022 when Stella took over as team principal. Key changes include the departure of technical director James Key in March 2023.

Rob Marshall joined from Red Bull as chief designer and Peter Prodromou returned to lead aerodynamics. Under Stella’s leadership, McLaren has progressed from a backmarker to a title contender, currently leading Red Bull by 41 points in the constructors’ championship with six races left. Meanwhile, Will Courtenay decision to leave follows other senior exits at Red Bull.

Chief technical officer Adrian Newey plans to join Aston Martin and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley will lead Audi (currently Sauber) in 2025. These departures arise amidst allegations of misconduct against Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, accusations he has denied. Notably, two internal investigations cleared him of any wrongdoing.

In response to these changes, Red Bull reorganized its leadership structure, implementing key adjustments. However, the team has yet to announce any updates regarding the strategy department.