Audi has confirmed the fast departure of group principal Jonathan Wheatley, following rumours he was being courted by Aston Martin.
Wheatley joined the group final yr, when it competed as Sauber, forward of its rebranding as Audi’s works group.
Reviews emerged this week claiming Aston Martin had approached Wheatley to take over from Adrian Newey as its group principal. The transfer would permit Newey to return his focus solely to automobile design.
In an announcement, Audi confirmed it is going to “implement vital modifications to its senior administration construction.”
“Attributable to private causes, Jonathan Wheatley will depart the group with fast impact,” it mentioned. “The group thanks Jonathan for his contribution to the venture and desires him the most effective for his future endeavours.”
Audi confirmed the top of its F1 venture, former Ferrari group principal Mattia Binotto, “will proceed main the group whereas taking on further duties as group principal.”
“Since becoming a member of on the helm of the venture in 2024, Mattia has been answerable for the transformation of the group as Audi ready for and finally entered F1 as a chassis and energy unit producer,” it added.
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“The group’s future construction will probably be totally outlined at a later stage, because the organisation continues to adapt to the evolving setting of Components 1. With the unwavering dedication of Audi AG, Audi Revolut F1 Workforce will proceed progressing in the direction of difficult for championships by 2030.”
Newey, broadly thought to be considered one of F1’s best automobile designers, joined Aston Martin in 2025 as technical accomplice. Nonetheless he took on the duties of group principal from Andy Cowell in a shake-up introduced final November. Cowell, previously head of Mercedes’ energy unit division, took up a brand new function aiding Honda with its engine programme.
A transfer to Aston Martin for Wheatley would reunite him with Newey. The pair labored collectively on Crimson Bull’s a number of championship-winning programme till Newey’s departure in 2024.
Wheatley loved some success throughout his transient interval answerable for the group now often called Audi. Having been final in 2024, the group moved up one place within the 2025 championship, whereas Nico Hulkenberg delivered its first podium end for greater than a decade. Audi scored factors on its F1 debut in Melbourne earlier this month.
Following the information of Wheatley’s departure, Aston Martin proprietor Lawrence Stroll issued an announcement concerning Newey’s standing on the group.
“With the present hypothesis surrounding Adrian Newey’s function in our group, I wish to take this chance to set the document straight,” mentioned Stroll.
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“As government chairman and controlling shareholder, I wish to reaffirm that Adrian Newey is my accomplice and an essential shareholder. He’s AMR’s managing technical accomplice, and he and I’ve a real partnership constructed on a shared imaginative and prescient of success for the corporate.
“We do issues otherwise right here, and whereas we don’t at present undertake the standard group principal function that you just see elsewhere – it’s by design.
“As probably the most profitable engineer within the historical past of the game, Adrian’s main focus is on the strategic and technical management the place he excels. He’s supported by a extremely expert senior management group to ship on all points of the enterprise, each on the Campus and trackside.
“We’re usually approached by senior executives of different groups who want to be a part of Aston Martin Aramco, however consistent with our coverage, we don’t touch upon hearsay and hypothesis.”
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