Jonathan Wheatley leaves Audi again after less than a year as team principal – Mattia Binotto will take over his duties for the time being
Jonathan Wheatley’s brief stint at Audi is already over. Audi officially confirmed Wheatley’s departure on Friday, saying that he is about to move to Aston Martin to replace Adrian Newey as team principal.
According to a press statement: “On his way to the top of the grid, Audi will make significant changes to its management structure.”
“For personal reasons, Jonathan Wheatley is leaving the team with immediate effect. The team would like to thank Jonathan for his contribution to the project and wishes him all the best for his future endeavors,” the racing team announced.
Wheatley’s duties will be taken over by former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto. “Mattia Binotto, head of the Audi Formula 1 project, will continue to lead the team and will also assume the duties of Team Principal,” the team confirmed.
“The future structure of the team will be fully defined at a later date as the organization continues to adapt to the changing Formula 1 environment,” Audi said.
“The future structure of the team will be fully defined at a later date as the organization continues to adapt to the changing Formula 1 environment,” Audi said.
Audi CEO Gernot Döllner explains: “We are grateful to Jonathan Wheatley for his contribution to the project during the important phase of entry and wish him all the best for the future. Mattia Binotto and the team will continue on the path we have taken.”
“Our direction remains unchanged: We are concentrating all our efforts on building a high-performance team that will compete for Formula 1 world championships from 2030. To this end, we will continue to develop our organizational structures in order to achieve our common goal in the long term,” said Döllner.
Wheatley only took up his position as Team Principal at the former Sauber racing team on 1 April 2025 – less than a year ago. He had previously worked for Red Bull for almost two decades, where he was Sports Director until his departure at the end of 2024.
This clears the way for Wheatley to move to Aston Martin. Adrian Newey only took over from Andy Cowell as team principal this season. Newey and Wheatley know each other from their time together at Red Bull, where they celebrated great successes together.