Wheatley officially leaves Audi ahead of expected Aston Martin move

Jonathan Wheatley is officially leaving the Audi Formula 1 team, ahead of his impending move to Aston Martin.

Autosport revealed on Thursday that Adrian Newey was set to step down from his team principal duties, which he assumed three months ago, to focus on technical matters – and would be replaced by Audi team boss Wheatley.

The decision was made amid Aston Martin’s disastrous start to F1’s new technical era in 2026, with the Honda power unit’s vibrations preventing the Newey-designed AMR26 from completing grand prix races due to battery reliability issues and driver health concerns.

The team’s downfall occurs as billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll has tremendously invested in making the Silverstone-based outfit a title contender, with a state-of-the-art campus populated with elite F1 engineers like Newey and former Mercedes lynchpin Andy Cowell.

A mechanic who rose through the ranks at Benetton, Renault and Red Bull, where he served as team manager then sporting director, Wheatley has been Sauber/Audi’s team principal for a year.

His main task at Aston Martin will be to put the team back on track – which won’t be easy as it needs, more than anything, to get a powerful, reliable engine package.

Meanwhile, Audi has clarified that head of Audi F1 project Mattia Binotto “will continue leading the team while taking over additional responsibilities as team principal”.

The statement from Audi continued: “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 1.

“With the unwavering commitment of AUDI AG, Audi Revolut F1 Team will continue progressing towards challenging for championships by 2030.”

Audi currently lies ninth in the 2026 constructors’ championship, with technical issues ruling Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto out of one grand prix each before those races had even started.

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– The Autosport.com Team