Red Bull Strategy Chief Will Courtenay Completes McLaren Switch

Red Bull's Head of Race Strategy, Will Courtenay, is officially set to join McLaren as their new Sporting Director midway through the 2026 season. The move continues a significant trend of high-profile personnel departures from Milton Keynes to Woking, signaling McLaren's aggressive push to build a championship-contending team around their new driver lineup.

Why it matters:

Losing a key strategist like Courtenay is a notable blow to Red Bull, a team whose dominance has been built on operational excellence and strategic prowess. For McLaren, acquiring his expertise is a major coup, injecting top-tier strategic know-how directly into their leadership structure as they aim to sustain and build upon their recent resurgence and challenge for titles.

The details:

• The Courtenay Effect: Will Courtenay will transition from his role at Red Bull to become McLaren's Sporting Director. His arrival in mid-2026 follows that of Chief Designer Rob Marshall, who made the same switch in 2024, establishing a clear pipeline of talent from the reigning champions to the papaya squad.
• Hamilton Family News: Anthony Hamilton, father of seven-time champion Lewis, has teased further announcements after recently launching a new racing series. He thanked supporters on social media and promised to share more on his upcoming "thoughts and projects" in the coming weeks.
• Off-Track Life: Max Verstappen is enjoying his winter break in Brazil with partner Kelly Piquet and their daughter, Lily. Piquet shared a heartwarming video of the three-time world champion introducing the ocean to their child.

What's next:

All eyes will be on the impact of Courtenay's arrival at McLaren and how Red Bull adapts to losing another key member of its brain trust ahead of the 2026 regulation changes. Meanwhile, the F1 community will be watching for Anthony Hamilton's promised updates, which could signal a new venture outside of Formula 1.