Red Bull lose Courtenay as he joins McLaren as sporting director

Will Courtenay is to leave Red Bull Racing to join McLaren as sporting director, making him the third member of Red Bull senior management to depart in recent months.

Courtenay departs Red Bull after 20 years, exiting his role as head of race strategy.

His decision follows the exits of chief technical officer Adrian Newey (Aston Martin) and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley (Sauber – Audi) over the past five months.

“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 F1 team principal Andrea Stella said.

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Lando Norris cruised to victory at the Singapore Grand Prix ahead of title rival Max Verstappen, while McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri completed the podium

“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.”

McLaren confirmed Courtenay will report into racing director Randeep Singh and stated: “The role will be to help grow the team’s sporting operations as the team continues its pursuit of success in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.”

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Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz reflects on all the big talking points from the Singapore Grand Prix after Norris comprehensively beat Verstappen to close the gap on his title rival

The move is the latest in the McLaren restructure since Stella’s appointment back in December 2022.

Peter Prodromou has returned as technical director in charge of aerodynamics, with James Key departing in March 2023, before Rob Marshall was brought in as chief designer from Red Bull in May 2023.

David Sanchez also joined the team from Ferrari as technical director for car concept and performance.

During that time, McLaren have moved from F1 strugglers to title contenders, with Lando Norris, who finished 20 seconds clear of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in Singapore, moving to within 52 points of the Dutchman at the top of the standings with six rounds of the season remaining.

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Verstappen was pleased with the damage limitation done to his title hopes after finishing second behind Norris in Singapore

McLaren also now lead Red Bull by 41 points in the Constructors’ Championship.

Just six races remain in Formula 1 2024 and the season resumes with the United States Grand Prix in Austin from October 18-20, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime

Source : Sky Sports

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