McLaren sign ‘very experienced’ Red Bull chief as exodus continues after Adrian Newey exit

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Another member of Red Bull’s inner success circle is set to leave the team for title rivals McLaren, following the exit of Adrian Newey.

Several key members of Red Bull have left the team in the last 18 months including sporting director Jonathan Wheatley and aerodynamicist Rob Marshall.

Wheatley will take up a team principal role at Sauber from next year, while Marshall joined McLaren earlier this season and has already impacted their car’s performance according to some insiders.

The most high-profile exit was legendary designer Adrian Newey, who will take up a new role as managing technical partner at Aston Martin next March.

Billionaire team owner Lawrence Stroll reportedly offered Newey a £30m-per-year contract that would put him on more money than 15 other drivers on the current grid.

Now it appears Red Bull will lose another ‘very experienced’ key member of their team to McLaren, their main rivals in this year’s Constructors’ Championship, according to De Telegraaf.

McLaren poach Head of Strategy from Red Bull

Red Bull’s head of race strategy, Will Courtenay, has decided to leave the team after 20 years to join McLaren as part of their ongoing restructure.

Courteney is contracted with Red Bull until at least mid-2026 and is expected to stay in his role until he joins McLaren, although typically teams enter into negotiations that enable their staff members to join sooner.

When he joins McLaren he will take up the role of sporting director, where he will report to racing director Randeep Singh.

Courteney first joined Red Bull in 2005 and subsequently worked closely with well-known strategist Hannah Schmitz, who is responsible for their tactics during races with the pair alternating in their trackside roles.

It follows a restructuring within the Red Bull team which sees Max Verstappen’s engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase taking up the role of head of racing from next year.

Andrea Stella hailed the appointment as the ‘ideal candidate’ due to his years of experience within F1: “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.

“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 overtakes Red Bull in Constructors’ Championship

The news comes after McLaren outscored Red Bull and leapfrogged them in the Constructors’ Championship during the recent Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

It is the first time McLaren has led the Constructors since the start of the 2014 season, and could see them achieve their first title since the 1998 season.

READ MORE: Every key staff member leaving Red Bull as Jonathan Wheatley jumps ship for Audi

Verstappen is also in a heated title battle with Lando Norris, who is now just 52 points behind after the latest race in Singapore.

The final six races of the season will be crucial for Red Bull as they attempt to help Verstappen defend his crown and take a fourth championship in a row, while McLaren builds up a force to be reckoned with in the future.