Red Bull's strategy chief Courtenay to join McLaren as sporting director

Red Bull's Head of Race Strategy Will Courtenay will leave his role to join Formula One world championship rivals McLaren as their Sporting Director, the Woking-based team said on Tuesday.

Red Bull have lost a number of senior employees, including star designer and former chief technical officer Adrian Newey, who left the Milton Keynes-based outfit to join Aston Martin as their Managing Technical Partner earlier in September.

McLaren announce signing of Will Courtenay from Red Bull as new Sporting Director#F1 | Full story 👇https://t.co/F6QKlL5JvG

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Courtenay will move to McLaren after 20 years at Red Bull and report to Racing Director Randeep Singh. However, it is not known when Courtenay will make the switch to McLaren, with media reports saying his Red Bull contract runs until mid-2026.

"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," McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella said in a statement.

"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."

The champions are 41 points behind McLaren in the constructors' standings with six rounds remaining, including next month's United States Grand Prix.