Red Bull won't let Head of Strategy leave for McLaren early

McLaren need to think again about a quick arrival of Will Courtenay. According to The Race, Red Bull Racing do not want their Head of Strategy to switch to the British rival anytime soon, and as a result, Courtenay will 'just sit' at the Austrian racing stable's pit wall during the 2025 season.

Red Bull gave Jonathan Wheatley permission to join Sauber as early as 1 April, where initially the idea was to start at the Swiss as team boss on 1 July. However, such leniency is not in the cards for Courtenay, according to The Race.

The Briton has now agreed a contract with McLaren and, like the team from Woking, hoped to make the switch in the short term. But Red Bull do not want that to occur. In fact, the team is said to plan to keep him on his contract, which runs until mid-2026.

So, with a gardening leave likely after that, there may be several years before Courtenay can work as sporting director at McLaren. Courtenay will continue to work at the Austrian team alongside Hannah Schmitz, who is expected to eventually take over her colleague's role at Red Bull.

This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy

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