Red Bull are about to lose yet another key member of staff with their head of race strategy jumping ship to McLaren. The reigning champions have lost several important figures over the last few months, with Adrian Newey the highest-profile exit of them all.

The famed designer will join Aston Martin next year, having spent nearly two decades at Red Bull since arriving in 2006. Their sporting director Jonathan Wheatley will also leave to become Audi's inaugural team principal when they join the grid in 2026.

Head of race strategy Will Courtenay has also decided to take up a fresh challenge away from Red Bull after 14 years on their books. He will join McLaren as their sporting director, becoming the latest Red Bull senior figure to seek pastures new.

Courtenay is scheduled to see out the rest of his Red Bull contract before officially starting his new role with McLaren in 2026. However, there is a chance that a deal could be agreed to allow him to leave before the end of his employment tenure.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said: "Will’s experience, professionalism and passion for motorsport make him the ideal candidate to lead our 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."

In a statement, McLaren said that Courtenay will 'help grow the team’s sporting operations as the team continues its pursuit of success' and confirmed that he will report to racing director Randeep Singh.

Courtenay worked for the old Jaguar team before they were taken over by Red Bull in 2005 and has remained on their books ever since. He initially served as a strategy engineer and later became a senior analyst before being promoted to his current role in 2010.

Red Bull have been overseeing a reshuffle behind the scenes in the wake of Newey and Wheatley deciding to join rival teams. Max Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase has been promoted to head of racing, while senior strategy engineer Stephen Knowles has been appointed head of sporting regulations.