P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Red Bull’s head of strategy will join McLaren as sporting director in 2026
Red Bull Formula 1 veteran Will Courtenay has been granted permission to join McLaren as sporting director ahead of schedule. Originally slated to finish his Red Bull contract on gardening leave until mid-2026, Courtenay announced on LinkedIn that he has already begun his McLaren role prior to the 2026 season’s first pre-season test in January. After 22 years at Red Bull, Courtenay expressed excitement for the new challenge at McLaren and thanked his former team for the friendships and successes during his tenure, which included multiple title wins with Vettel and Verstappen. Courtenay is part of several high-profile departures from Red Bull, alongside figures like Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, and Helmut Marko, with Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase also linked to potential moves to other teams.
