Will Courtenay has departed Red Bull 15 months after signing for McLaren, where he becomes the team\u2019s sporting director.<\/p>\n
The former lead strategist for Red Bull, Will Courtenay, has started work at McLaren.<\/p>\n
Will Courtenay is embarking on a \u2018new challenge\u2019 at McLaren<\/p>\n
Courtenay has been part of Red Bull since its arrival on the grid in 2005, initially joining the Milton Keynes-based squad as a strategy engineer, having been part of its previous iteration as Jaguar<\/p>\n
He became head of race strategy in 2010, a position he has served in ever since, but was announced as leaving for McLaren as far back as September 2024, with the intent being that he would see out his contract with Red Bull until mid-2026.<\/p>\n
However, months ahead of this expected timeline, Courtenay has confirmed he has started work with McLaren<\/a> ahead of the F1 2026 season, where he takes up the role of sporting director.<\/p>\n This earlier-than-expected commencement with McLaren indicates a deal between the two teams has likely been struck to allow the engineer to make the switch before the end of his current contract.<\/p>\n He will report to racing director Randeep Singh.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m happy to share that I\u2019m starting a new position as Sporting Director at McLaren Racing!\u201d Courtenay said.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter 22 years at Red Bull Racing, the last 15 as Head of Race Strategy there, I\u2019m excited to say I\u2019m now embarking on a new challenge, joining the McLaren Racing Formula 1 Team as Sporting Director.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to say a huge thanks to everyone I worked with at Red Bull. I made so many great friends there, and I hope I\u2019ll still see many of you in the paddock. It was an incredible two and a bit decades.<\/p>\n \u201cBut now I\u2019m looking forward to settling into my new role and team, and hopefully making plenty more new friends, as I do my very best to help McLaren continue its recent success in the coming years.\u201d<\/p>\n Courtenay\u2019s announced departure in late 2024 was the third high-profile departure from Milton Keynes that season, following the departure of sporting director Jonathan Wheatley to take up the team principal role at Sauber\/Audi, and chief technical officer Adrian Newey to become managing technical partner (and now team principal) at Aston Martin.<\/p>\n \u201cWill\u2019s experience, professionalism, and passion for motorsport make him the ideal candidate to lead our sporting function,\u201d McLaren team boss Andrea Stella said of Courtenay\u2019s appointment.<\/p>\n \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n More on the all-new regulations for F1 2026<\/p>\n F1 2026 tech analysed: The future of overtaking and biggest car advantage identified<\/a><\/p>\n