Formula 1 Rumor: Aston Martin Target Audi Team Principal Wheatley (Update)

This rumor is upgraded to ‘fact’ today. Jonathan Wheatley is leaving the Audi Revolut F1 Team effective immediately, and it is assumed he will go on gardening leave before becoming Team Principal for the Aston Martin F1 team. The Audi team said he was leaving for personal reasons, but of course we all know why he quit.

Audi has made an adjustment to the management structure of its Formula 1 project. In addition to his existing duties as Head of Audi F1 Project, Mattia Binotto will also assume the responsibilities of Team Principal. Jonathan Wheatley is leaving the Audi Revolut F1 Team with immediate effect for personal reasons.

Wheatley had been part of the Audi F1 Project since April 2025. Together with Binotto, he built up the racing team at the Hinwil facility in Switzerland, which immediately scored points on its Formula 1 debut in early March. With this transition, Mattia Binotto will now assume additionally the responsibilities of Team Principal, taking leadership at the race track of Audi Revolut F1 Team.

“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,” says Gernot Döllner, CEO of AUDI AG and Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi Motorsport AG.

“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. We will continuously develop our organizational structures to achieve our shared goal in a sustainable manner.”

Lawrence Stroll Aston Martin Statement

“With the current speculation surrounding Adrian Newey’s role in our team, I want to take this opportunity to set the record straight.

“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 rumor and speculation.”

Rumor has it that the Aston Martin Formula 1 Team is holding discussions with both Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley (pictured) and his former Red Bull boss Christian Horner over who will succeed Adrian Newey in the team principal role.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Wheatley only joined Audi at the start of the 2026 season after more than two decades at Red Bull, but Lawrence Stroll has moved quickly to try and tempt the highly regarded Briton to Silverstone. A formal offer is believed to be on the table, with Wheatley tasked with running day-to-day race operations and allowing Newey to focus solely on his role as managing technical partner.

Adding significant intrigue, Christian Horner—the man who led Red Bull through their most successful period alongside both Newey and Wheatley—is also in talks with Aston Martin. The trio’s long shared history at Red Bull is seen as a potential advantage should either man be appointed.

The search comes as Aston Martin suffers through a nightmare beginning to the 2026 season. The team currently sits last in the constructors’ championship, badly affected by major reliability problems with its new Honda power unit. Fernando Alonso was forced to withdraw from the recent Chinese Grand Prix due to excessive vibrations in the AMR26.

Newey, who stepped into the team principal role at the end of 2025, is understood to want to step back from operational duties. He intends to concentrate exclusively on the technical and design side of the operation, particularly the development of the 2027 car.

Newey is said to have personally recommended Wheatley as the ideal person to run race operations, although Horner’s proven leadership credentials have also put him firmly in contention.

Aston Martin has declined to comment on the speculation. Audi has so far remained silent on any potential approach for their team principal.

The situation represents yet another major management upheaval at Aston Martin as Stroll seeks a swift turnaround in fortunes.