Red Bull lose another senior staff member as McLaren poach strategy chief

McLaren have announced that Red Bull's head of race strategy Will Courtenay will join the F1 team as sporting director. 

Courtenay has decided to leave Red Bull after 14 years in the position of chief strategist but it is understood he will see out the remainder of his contract, which runs until mid-2026, before making the switch to Woking. 

McLaren did not confirm a start date in their announcement. When Courtenay joins McLaren, he will report directly to racing director Randeep Singh. 

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

Courtenay is the third senior member of staff to leave Red Bull in the past five months alone.

Chief technical officer Adrian Newey is joining Aston Martin after successfully negotiating an early release from his contract, with his departure announced in May. 

In August, it was announced that sporting director Jonathan Wheatley was leaving in order to become team principal of the current Sauber team - which will become Audi in 2026 - next year. 

Courtenay will be reunited at McLaren with chief designer Rob Marshall, who quit Red Bull at the end of 2023. 

Red Bull are yet to formally acknowledge Courtenay's exit, but a source at the team told BBC Sport: “After a long and successful service, being with the team since the Jaguar days, we are sad to see Will 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.”