Red Bull exodus continues as McLaren hire key figure

The ongoing exodus at Red Bull is set to continue after the Formula 1 team’s head of race strategy is ditching the Constructors’ Champions for McLaren.

Will Courtney will join the Papaya team as sporting director having joined Red Bull when they were owned by Jaguar in 2003.

The departure of Courtney is a major loss to team principal Christian Horner’s ranks, who have already seen design guru Adrian Newey join Aston Martin and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley leave for Audi.

The current world champions – who are facing a fight to defend their team championship from McLaren and Ferrari – also lost their head of aerodynamics Dan Fallows to Aston Martin and chief engineering officer Rob Marshall to McLaren, both in 2023.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said: “Will’s experience, professionalism and passion for motorsport make him the ideal candidate to lead our 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.”

Courtney’s transition is a continuation of Stella’s restructuring at McLaren’s Formula 1 team, which began after his appointment in 2022.

It is understood Red Bull and McLaren will come to an agreement for Courtney to switch teams without the current head of race strategy completing his contract, which runs through until mid-2026.