No deal! The two Formula 1 racing teams Red Bull Racing and McLaren have not reached an agreement in talks about an early change of top strategist Will Courtenay. The engineer will therefore have to continue working for his previous team in the 2025 season.
The portal “The Race” reported on Courtenay’s failed move on Wednesday. The engineer, who joined Red Bull in 2003 and has held various positions there since then, agreed to a deal with McLaren last September. He is to take over the position of sports director at Zak Brown’s racing team. He most recently worked as chief strategist at Red Bull.
Although Courtenay’s contract with Red Bull Racing is valid until mid-2026, McLaren had hoped to welcome his new addition to its ranks earlier. However, according to the report, Christian Horner and Co. put a stop to this plan and refused early release.
Red Bull is relying on Courtenay for the 2025 Formula 1 season
According to “The Race”, it is clear that the long-time RB employee will continue to sit on the pit wall for his previous employer throughout the entire 2025 Formula 1 season. According to the report, Courtenay will continue to work closely with strategist Hannah Schmitz, who will move up the hierarchy following his departure. Team boss Christian Horner indicated Schmitz’s promotion when the change was announced.
It is not officially known why Red Bull is prohibiting Courtenay from moving to McLaren early. However, it is reasonable to assume that the racing team does not want to further strengthen one of its biggest competitors in the World Championship fight. In addition, Red Bull would be leaving another leading figure in Courtenay, who is particularly crucial on race weekends.
This is probably why Red Bull told McLaren, according to “The Race”, that they had “no interest” in such a deal.