Jonathan Wheatley Leaves Audi; Rumors of Possible Signing by Aston Martin
Audi has confirmed the departure of Jonathan Wheatley, who served as team principal. Reports suggest that Wheatley could take on a similar role at Aston Martin, replacing Adrian Newey. On Thursday, it was reported that Newey, a design legend in Formula 1, will leave the team principal position to focus on his original role as executive chairman and technical managing partner, which began in early 2025. Newey took over as team principal last November, in addition to his overall responsibilities within the team.Although some media speculated about Wheatley as a possible replacement, sources indicated that an agreement had not yet been reached.
On Friday, Audi announced the immediate departure of Wheatley “for personal reasons”, and that Mattia Binotto, head of the Formula 1 project, will temporarily assume his role. Aston Martin has not yet confirmed who will take the position of team principal. Shortly after Audi’s press release, Aston Martin issued a statement from its owner, Lawrence Stroll, addressing the week’s rumors and highlighting Newey’s importance to the organization.Stroll added: “As executive chairman and majority shareholder, I would like to reaffirm that Adrian Newey is my partner and a significant shareholder.” “He is the managing technical partner of AMR, and he and I have a true partnership based on a shared vision of success for the company.” “We do things differently here, and although we don’t currently adopt the traditional team leader role seen elsewhere, it’s by design.” “As the most successful engineer in the history of the sport, Adrian’s primary focus is on 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 on Campus and at the track.” “Frequently, high-level executives from other teams approach us with the desire to join Aston Martin Aramco, but according to our policy, we do not comment on rumors or speculation.” Wheatley’s departure from Audi comes almost exactly one year after joining the Swiss-based team.With the current speculation about Adrian Newey’s role in our team, I want to take this opportunity to clarify things.
Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin owner
