Audi F1 officially announces the departure of Jonathan Wheatley with immediate effect

He was one of the key figures in the Audi project in F1And now he's far removed from those concerns. Jonathan Wheatley, team principal of the German team since Sauber decided to part ways with Alessandro Alunni Bravi in ​​January 2025, is leaving the organization with immediate effect, as announced by the four-ring brand this Friday afternoon, March 20th. This highly surprising decision is all the more sudden given that the world championship has only just begun.

"As it progresses towards the top of the grid, the Audi Revolut F1 Team will be making significant changes to its management. For personal reasons, Jonathan Wheatley is leaving the team with immediate effect. The team thanks him for his contribution to the project and wishes him all the best for the future." This is what can be read in the official version.

BREAKING: Jonathan Wheatley will depart from his role of Team Principal at Audi F1 team with immediate effect

Mattia Binotto will continue leading the team, taking over as Team Principal#F1 pic.twitter.com/ziqEhn88B6

- Formula 1 (@ F1) March 20, 2026

In this instance, Audi F1 clarifies that Mattia Binotto, who has been the overall project director until now, will continue to lead the team while also assuming the responsibilities of team principal. Having joined the team in 2024, the Italian previously held leadership positions at... Team Ferrari has come to the rescue of a situation that had been brewing for a few days, but which didn't seem so urgent just a few hours ago. Now, many questions are being raised about the milestones of the German giant's F1 project.

A future at Aston Martin for Wheatley?

While no clear reorganization has yet been announced by Audi – particularly regarding the long-term replacement of Jonathan Wheatley – it seems that the former employee of the company Red Bull is coveted at Silverstone. Indeed, several sources, particularly from across the Channel, claim thatAston Martin Ferrari is reportedly on the verge of appointing the Briton as the new Team Principal of the Green Team. Adrian Newey, meanwhile – team principal since the start of winter – would return to a purely technical role, with the team's management taking over from a delegated executive.

However, Lawrence Stroll He himself has partially refuted this assumption. "In light of recent speculation about Adrian Newey's role on our team, I would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight. As executive chairman and controlling shareholder, I want to reaffirm that Adrian Newey is my partner and a significant shareholder," the Canadian specifiedHe is the Managing Technical Partner of AMR, and we share a true partnership, based on a common vision for the company's success. Here, we do things differently, and while we are not currently adopting the traditional Team Principal role found elsewhere, this is a deliberate choice. As the most successful engineer in the history of the sport, Adrian's primary focus is on strategic and technical leadership, areas in which he excels. He is supported by a highly qualified senior management team to handle all aspects of the business, both on campus and on the track. We regularly receive inquiries from senior executives at other teams who wish to join Aston Martin Aramco, but, in accordance with our policy, we do not comment on rumors and speculation.

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Far from being a stable situation for Audi, this decision is nonetheless a rather positive step for the new team on the F1 grid. The engine is still lagging behind the performance of the top contenders, but car Well-conceived and well-designed, the early days of the Rings in the sport were far from ridiculous. Promising as it was, this project clearly wasn't enough to retain the former Red Bull executive, who is now looking towards a future that remains to be written.