Wheatley to start at Sauber earlier than expected

While the drivers and teams are returning to school this weekend in Melbourne, this will not be the case for Jonathan Wheatley, who will have to wait a little longer before joining his new team. Announced as leaving for Sauber – Audi last August, in order to become the new Team Principal of the Swiss team, the British engineer should initially respect a period of leave in 2025 before taking up his duties, his contract with Red Bull ending in July of this year.

However, this Wednesday, the Austrian team indicated that it had reached an agreement with its former sporting director to release him earlier: thus, Jonathan Wheatley will be able to disembark at Hinwil from Tuesday, April 1, just before the Japanese Grand Prix (April 6), the third round of the 2025 season.

BREAKING: Former Red Bull Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley will begin as Kick Sauber Team Principal from April 1#F1 pic.twitter.com/ElrivsIMqu

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 12, 2025

Wheatley present to prepare for the Audi era

Sauber thus completes its team's organizational chart ahead of Audi's F1 debut next year, with Mattia Binotto as Chief Operating Officer and Technical Director. Jonathan Wheatley and Mattia Binotto will report to Gernot Döllner, Sauber Chairman of the Board of Management and President of Audi. Sauber's press release issued on Wednesday states that Jonathan Wheatley and Mattia Binotto will be "jointly responsible for the success of the racing team" within the framework of a structure "which empowers both leaders with clearly defined roles and results." As a reminder, Alessandro Alunni Bravi, former representative of the Swiss team, left his post this winter to join McLaren.

Jonathan Wheatley will therefore take a new step in his career by becoming Team Principal of the Sauber team, which will become Audi F1 Team in 2026. Having started in Formula 1 in the early 1990s at Benetton, first as a mechanic and then as chief mechanic, the Briton was one of the key players in the success of Renault in 2005-2006. Having arrived at Red Bull at the end of 2006, Jonathan Wheatley was present on the pit wall of the Austrian team as sporting director. He was the one who liaised with the FIA ​​during Grands Prix. He also contributed to the team's excellent performance during pit stops in recent years.

“I am extremely proud to have been part of the Red Bull Racing adventure over the past eighteen years and I will keep excellent memories of it, Jonathan Wheatley confided last August, at the time of the announcement. However, the opportunity to play an active role in Audi's move into Formula 1 as Team Principal of a factory team is an exceptionally exciting prospect, and I am looking forward to the challenge. I am also pleased to be working with Mattia, whom I have known for many years and who is the ideal person to collaborate on this exciting project."

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