Red Bull head of F1 strategy Courtenay to join McLaren

The McLaren Formula 1 team has announced it has signed Red Bull’s chief strategist Will Courtenay as its new sporting director.

Having initially joined the team as a systems engineer in 2003 under its Jaguar guise before moving to a strategy role once the team became Red Bull in 2005, he rose to become the world champions’ head of race strategy for the past 14 years. But Courtenay will join title rival McLaren in a position reporting to its long-time racing director Randeep Singh as it aims to bolster its on-track racing operations.

“We are delighted to welcome Will to McLaren, said team principal Andrea Stella. “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.”

It is not yet clear when Courtenay will make the switch, with the Briton still contracted to Red Bull until mid-2026. A spokesperson for the team confirmed Courtenay would continue working for the team until that time.

“Will has been offered the position of Sporting Director,” the spokesperson said. “After a long and successful service, being with the team since the Jaguar days, we are sad to see him go but wish him all the best in this step up. Will continues to be part of the team seeing out his contract until mid 2026.”

Courtenay is the latest senior staff member set to leave Red Bull, with design guru Adrian Newey joining Aston Martin in March 2025. Meanwhile, sporting manager Jonathan Wheatley will take up the position of team principal at Sauber from next season.