It has been claimed that McLaren’s attempt to secure the early release of new sporting director Will Courtenay has been blocked via Red Bull.
McLaren announced the signing of Courtenay, a long-time follower of Red Bull’s racing strategy, in September last year.
With extended periods of gardening being a common sight in F1 staff contracts to prevent the spread of sensitive data between teams, Courtenay is not expected to start working with McLaren until mid-2026 at the latest.
McLaren reportedly needs to succeed in an agreement with Red Bull to permit Courtenay to get started paintings as soon as possible, potentially as early as this year.
However, a report by the Race has claimed that Red Bull have shown ‘no interest’ in a deal and expect Courtenay to complete the remainder of his contract.
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As such, Courtenay will spend the entire 2025 F1 season on the Red Bull pit wall, working intensively with senior engineer Hannah Schmitz.
Schmitz is expected to take over Courtenay full-time once his move to McLaren is complete.
The news comes after tensions between Red Bull and McLaren escalated the World Championship war between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at F1 2024.
In the wake of Verstappen’s collision with Norris in Austria, McLaren boss Zak Brown questioned Red Bull’s ability with the reigning world champion and branded the team’s racing technique “disgusting”.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner responded at the next race at Silverstone by saying he would “dignify” Brown’s comments with a response, with Verstappen adding: “Who is Zak Brown?”
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Brown then took sides with Verstappen’s competitive racing style, publicly criticising the Red Bull driver after he was hit with two 10-second consequences in quick succession for separate incidents with Norris in Mexico.
Courtenay became the third high-profile Red Bull figure to announce his departure from Red Bull in 2024, announcing his move to McLaren in the aftermath of last year’s Singapore Grand Prix.
Courtenay’s departure follows that of F1 design legend Adrian Newey, who will join Aston Martin as managing technical partner in early March, and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, who was announced as director of the new Audi F1 team last summer. .
Red Bull’s hardline stance over Courtenay comes after the Milton Keynes-based team reportedly agreed to an early release for Audi-bound Wheatley.
Firstly, Wheatley, who left his position as Red Bull’s sporting director at the end of the 2024 F1 season, was not expected to join Audi F1 until this summer.
However, reports on Wednesday claimed that Audi F1 had reached an agreement with Red Bull to allow Wheatley to take up his new role on April 1.
News of the Audi F1 and Red Bull deal came here after Sauber announced the departure of agent Alessandro Alunni Bravi on Tuesday.
Alunni Bravi had performed well as team principal in the 2023/24 era following Fred Vasseur’s move to Ferrari at the end of 2022, representing Sauber at press meetings at the end of F1 race weeks.
In a short statement, Audi F1 chief Mattia Binotto paid tribute to Alunni Bravi’s contribution to the Swiss-based team.
He said: “Having worked heavily with him in the months since my arrival at Hinwil, I would like to pay tribute to Alessandro, a true team player who has come to include the essence of Sauber over the yearsArray
“Alessandro played a wide range of roles within the team, steering it through difficult and exciting times alike.
“As you embark on a new venture, the entire company would like to thank you for all your power and contributions over the years and wish you the best for the future. ” »
Alunni Bravi added: “It’s an emotional moment because my adventure with Sauber is coming to an end.
“Since I joined in 2017, I have seen this team grow and change beyond what anyone could have imagined.
“This organization has been through exciting and challenging times, never wasting its spirit and commitment, which I find inspiring and proud to be able to constitute the team as its public face for the past two years.
“As I move towards a new project, I would like to thank Finn Rausing, everyone who has me at Sauber and Audi, and all the colleagues I have worked with for 8 years.
“This team is a family circle and has a bright future ahead. “
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