McLaren issue statement on Will Courtenay arrival with Red Bull plans confirmed
McLaren have built a team to challenge at the top of Formula 1 and have strengthened their ranks once again in with the addition of Red Bull's Head of Race Strategy Will Courtenay
by Scott Trotter · The MirrorMcLaren have confirmed the addition of Will Courtenay as their new Sporting Director, from Red Bull.
Courtenay makes the move after 20 years with Red Bull Racing where he held the role of Head of Race Strategy. It continues McLaren's team restructure since the appointment of team principal Andrea Stella in 2022 with the side now challenging for both the constructors' and drivers' championship.
Courtenay becomes the third member of Red Bull's senior management to exit within the past five months. He follows chief technical officer Adrian Newey and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley out of the team.
McLaren hope the addition of Courtenay will enable them to continue to compete at the top of Formula 1. Team chief Stella described his new director as 'ideal'.
McLaren's statement read: "McLaren Racing today announces that Will Courtenay will join the McLaren Formula 1 team as Sporting Director.
"Reporting into Randeep Singh, Racing Director, the role will help grow the team’s sporting operations as the team continues its pursuit of success in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.
"Will joins McLaren after 20 years at Red Bull Racing, where he is currently in the role of Head of Race Strategy, bringing with him a wealth of experience. Will’s expertise will add further depth to the team’s sporting operation and will help drive performance within the racing team.
"Andrea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren F1, said: “We are delighted to welcome Will to McLaren. 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.”"
Stella's restructure first saw former technical director James Key depart in March 2023, amid a series of changes including the return of Peter Prodromou as technical director in charge of aerodynamics. Soon after, McLaren signed Rob Marshall from Red Bull as their chief designer.
Red Bull have in turn being forced into their own restructure. Following Wheatley's decision to leave, the team announced changes, albeit none within their strategy team where Courtenay worked.
Wheatley’s departure was announced in August as he made the decision to join Audi, currently Sauber. He will become their team principal in 2025.
As a result, Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase was made head of racing and Stephen Knowles became head of sporting regulations after serving as senior strategy engineer.
Courtenay's Red Bull contract had been expected to last until mid-2026. As a result it remains uncertain when he will complete the move.
Red Bull declined to comment officially, but a source for 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.”
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