F1
Red Bull chief strategy officer Will Courtenay moves to McLaren
© Mark Thompson/Getty Images
And one more departure at Red Bull, one! After Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley, it is the turn of Will Courtenay, responsible for race strategy, to leave the Austrian team... to join direct competition. McLaren announced on 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 for an early departure. Reporting to Randeep Singh, director of competition, Will Courtenay will have the task of "develop McLaren's sports operations F1 Team », 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.
Will Courtenay to join McLaren Formula 1 Team as Sporting Director.
- McLaren (@ McLarenF1) September 24, 2024
“We are delighted to welcome Will to McLaren, rejoices Andrea Stella, Team Principal of McLaren and proud of his war prize against a rival team. His experience, professionalism and passion for motorsport make him the ideal candidate to lead our sporting direction in F1. 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 from 2025, while sporting director Jonathan Wheatley will become Audi team principal in 2026. A new loss that is all the more serious as Will Courtenay is joining 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' category.
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Dorian Grangier
A young journalist nostalgic for the motorsport of yesteryear. Raised on the exploits of Sébastien Loeb and Fernando Alonso.
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Yves-Henri RANDIER
24/09/2024 at 05:05 a.m.
It's hard to believe that he will continue to hold his position until mid-2026. It smells like a negotiation with dollars at stake to free him as soon as possible while certainly forcing him to cultivate the roses in his garden for a while. Christian HORNER and his good friend Zak BROWN must have had time to discuss this subject - and the record of the "Honey Badger" lap in Singapore? - on the plane that brought them both back from Singapore to London!