Following rumors breaking yesterday involving Audi’s F1 Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley possibly and unexpectedly leaving to assume a role at Aston Martin, we’ve now got official word and his departure has been confirmed by his Audi Revolut F1 team.
The move, confirmed Friday by both Audi AG and the Audi Revolut F1 team, comes less than a year after Wheatley joined the project and only two races into Audi’s first full campaign as a works constructor under the sport’s new 2026 regulations.
The team issued the following statement:
As it continues its journey towards the front of the grid, Audi Revolut F1 Team will implement significant changes to its senior management structure.
Due to personal reasons, Jonathan Wheatley will depart the team with immediate effect. The team thanks Jonathan for his contribution to the project and wishes him the best for his future endeavours.
Mattia Binotto, Head of Audi F1 Project, will continue leading the team while taking over additional responsibilities as Team Principal. Since joining at the helm of the project in 2024, Mattia has been in charge of the transformation of the team as Audi prepared for and ultimately entered F1 as a chassis and power unit manufacturer.
The team’s future structure will be fully defined at a later stage, as the organisation continues to adapt to the evolving environment of Formula One. With the unwavering commitment of AUDI AG, Audi Revolut F1 Team will continue progressing towards challenging for championships by 2030.
Wheatley’s exit marks a sudden shift for a program that had only recently completed its transition from Sauber into a full Audi works effort. Brought in during April 2025, the former Red Bull Sporting Director played an important role in shaping Sauber’s Hinwil-based operation ahead of its transformation, working alongside former Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto to build out the team’s technical and organizational structure.
That groundwork showed early promise. Audi scored points on debut and had already demonstrated flashes of competitiveness, building on momentum established late in the Sauber era, including a breakthrough podium finish at Silverstone last season. Wheatley’s tenure, while brief, spanned one of the most critical phases in the program’s formation.
Audi CEO Gernot Döllner acknowledged that contribution while reinforcing the company’s long-term direction.
“We are grateful to Jonathan Wheatley for his contribution to the project during the crucial entry phase and wish him all the best for the future,” said Döllner. “Mattia Binotto and the team will continue to pursue the path we have chosen with determination. Our focus remains unchanged: we are concentrating all our efforts on building a team competing at the highest level that will challenge for world championships in Formula 1 by 2030.”
With Wheatley stepping away, leadership consolidates under Binotto, who now assumes dual responsibilities as Head of the Audi F1 Project and Team Principal. The move places full operational and strategic control under one figure as Audi continues to refine its structure during the opening phase of its F1 journey.
The timing is notable. Audi’s start to the 2026 season has been mixed, with reliability issues affecting both Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto and leaving the team near the back of the constructors’ standings. While early growing pains were expected under the sport’s sweeping new regulations, the leadership change is a reminder of the pressure inherent in launching a works effort from day one.
Beyond the official reasoning of “personal reasons,” Wheatley’s departure is already fueling speculation. Multiple reports link him to a potential move to Aston Martin, where a broader management reshuffle may be underway amid performance and reliability challenges that have left that team unable to finish a race as well as last place in the team standings. While no move has been formally confirmed, the possibility of a reunion with former colleagues and a return to the UK that had been his home adds another layer to an already fluid F1 leadership landscape.
Amid that speculation, Aston Martin Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll moved to publicly clarify his team’s current structure and reaffirm Adrian Newey’s role within the organization. We found the statement over on RacingNews365.
“With the current speculation surrounding Adrian Newey’s role in our team, I want to take this opportunity to set the record straight.
Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin
“As Executive Chairman and Controlling Shareholder, I would like to reaffirm that Adrian Newey is my partner and an important shareholder. He is AMR’s Managing Technical Partner, and he and I have a true partnership built on a shared vision of success for the company.
“We do things differently here, and while we don’t currently adopt the traditional Team Principal role that you see elsewhere – it is by design.
“As the most successful engineer in the history of the sport, Adrian’s primary focus is on the strategic and technical leadership where he excels. He is supported by a highly skilled Senior Leadership Team to deliver on all aspects of the business, both at the Campus and trackside.
“We are regularly approached by senior executives of other teams who wish to join Aston Martin Aramco, but in keeping with our policy, we do not comment on rumour and speculation”.
While Stroll stopped short of addressing Wheatley directly, the timing of the statement—and the acknowledgment of external interest from senior personnel—does add to the sense that broader movement within the paddock may still unfold.
For Audi, however, the stated plan is to stay the course… even without Wheatley steering the ship.
The company has repeatedly emphasized its long-term commitment to Formula 1, with 2030 set as the benchmark for championship contention. Organizational flexibility, particularly in these early stages, appears to be part of that strategy.
In that context, the brand appears to wish to communicate that Wheatley’s departure represents less a derailment and more a recalibration—an early, high-profile adjustment as Ingolstadt continues the complex process of building a Formula 1 team capable of competing at the very front.