Mattia Binotto gets support: Following the departure of team principal Jonathan Wheatley, Audi confirmed Allan McNish as the new race director on Friday
Allan McNish has a new role at Audi. Having previously headed up the Ingolstadt-based company’s new junior program, the former Formula 1 driver has been promoted to race director of the team with immediate effect.
McNish’s new position is likely to be a reaction to the departure of team boss Jonathan Wheatley, who left Audi in March. Mattia Binotto, head of the Audi Formula 1 project, then took over his duties.
“We are not looking for a new team principal,” Binotto himself made clear at the end of March. Instead, Audi now has a race director in McNish, who is likely to relieve Binotto of a number of tasks in his new role.
From the Formula 1 race in Miami, his responsibilities will include overseeing sporting matters, technical coordination, driver management, race strategy and garage operations as well as media and partner activities on site.
What McNish says about his new role
“It’s a privilege to take on the role of Race Director for the Audi team,” says McNish. This is a brand that means a lot to me and it is an honor to represent Audi and our partners on the most prestigious stage in motorsport.”
“This is an exciting challenge at a pivotal moment in the history of Audi and Formula 1, and I look forward to contributing even more directly to our performance at the racetrack,” said the Scot.
“The project we are building is ambitious, and my focus will be on ensuring that all aspects of our racing operation operate at the highest competitive level and continually improve.”
“Together with our junior program, to which I remain fully committed, my focus will be on implementing the building blocks for our success – under the guidance of Mattia and the board,” said McNish.
McNish drove his only Formula 1 season for Toyota in 2002, but failed to score a championship point in the inferior TF102. He was unable to take part in the final race of the season in Suzuka after a serious accident in qualifying.
The 56-year-old was much more successful in endurance racing, where he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times in 1998, 2008 and 2013. He also became World Endurance Champion in the WEC in 2013.
At an official level, he was later team boss in Formula E, among other things.
Praise from Mattia Binotto
“Allan brings an exceptional combination of racing experience, technical understanding and leadership qualities to this role,” praises Binotto.
“He has been a central part of Audi’s motorsport structure for many years and has played a key role in shaping our preparations for Formula 1 in his roles within the Audi team since its launch, not least through his work in the area of technical partnerships.”
“This appointment strengthens our leadership at the racetrack at a crucial stage of our project. Allan’s ability to connect all performance-related areas – from sporting operations to driver development – will be fundamental as we continue to build our team.”
