And another departure from Red Bull, one! After Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley, it is the turn of Will Courtenay, head of racing strategy, to leave the Austrian team… to join the direct competition. McLaren announced this Tuesday the recruitment of the British engineer, who will become the new sporting director at Woking at the end of his current contract with Red Bull, i.e. from mid-2026. However, negotiations between the two parties could allow an early departure. Under the responsibility of Randeep Singh, director of competition, Will Courtenay will have the task of “developing McLaren F1 Team’s sporting operations”explains the British formation.
Will Courtenay is one of the longest-serving members of the Red Bull team. Already present before the Jaguar team was bought by the energy drink brand, the English engineer spent 20 years in Milton Keynes, including 14 as head of race strategy. “After a long and successful service with the team since the Jaguar days, we are sad to see Will leave, but wish him all the best as he moves forward. Will remains part of the team and his contract runs until mid-2026.” said a source within the Red Bull team, reports the BBC.
“We are delighted to welcome Will to McLarenrejoices Andrea Stella, Team Principal of McLaren and proud of his war prize against a rival teamHis experience, professionalism and passion for motorsport make him the ideal candidate to lead our F1 sporting leadership. We are now entering a key phase of our journey as a team, and we are confident that he will be an excellent addition to our strong management team as we strive to continue to challenge for victories and championships.”
This umpteenth departure of an important member of the Red Bull team is a new blow for the Austrian clan. As a reminder, the emblematic engineer Adrian Newey will fly to Aston Martin in 2025, while the sporting director Jonathan Wheatley will become director of the Audi team in 2026. A new loss all the more heavy since Will Courtenay joins a rival team: Red Bull and McLaren are in the running for the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles this season, with an advantage for the English in the Constructors’.
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