Sauber's new team principal takes up role ahead of Japanese GP

On a day when jokes are flying and following the news can be tricky, separating fact from hype can be a tricky exercise. Sauber didn't make things any easier by unveiling a fake Kobe beef livery, a reference to its title sponsor Stake, whose name sounds like "steak." However, there was no joking around when the Swiss team announced that its new Team Principal, Jonathan Wheatley, was taking up his duties this Tuesday.

The Briton spent a few months on the sidelines after his departure from Red Bull last year. Formerly Red Bull's sporting director, Wheatley was recruited to lead the Audi project under the direction of Italian Mattia Binotto, the former director of the Team Ferrari.

First day at Sauber for Wheatley

In 2024, Sauber did not have a team principal, operating with Alessandro Alunni Bravi as team representative and Andreas Seidl as CEO. The former Sauber principal McLaren left his position to make way for Binotto, who holds the dual role of Technical Director and Operations Director. The role of Team Principal therefore falls to Jonathan Wheatley, who had never held a similar position before. The former chief engineer of Renault and Benetton will take office on April 1st to get its bearings in the coming months before Audi arrives in early 2026.

“After meeting our employees at the factory in Hinwil, I am looking forward to joining the team at the legendary Suzuka circuit for my first race and to starting to put our plans in place for this season and beyond,” rejoices the Briton, before the third meeting of the season. He will have a front row seat to see his team try to do better than in China, where the two drivers lost all hope of scoring points on the first lap: Gabriel Bortoleto spun and Nico Hulkenberg had a hard time keeping his car in check, going off track and losing many positions.

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