Jonathan Wheatley: Audi chief leaves with immediate effect amid link with Aston Martin

Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley has left the team with immediate effect.

This development comes a day after news emerged that Aston Martin had approached the 58-year-old Englishman to be its team principal.

A statement from Audi said Wheatley was leaving “for personal reasons”.

Mattia Binotto will assume the responsibilities of team principal in addition to his role as head of the Audi Formula 1 project while the company takes time to think about its next steps.

The move comes after an Audi board meeting on Friday in the presence of Wheatley and Binotto.

Wheatley was under contract to Audi for at least the remainder of this year but the decision was made that he must leave immediately. This is the third management restructuring in less than two years at Audi.

He will have to take a period of “gardening leave” before joining another team, the length of which will have to be negotiated between him, Audi and possibly his future employer.

One of the main reasons for Wheatley’s departure was his desire to return to the UK by the end of this year.

Audi is not expected to look for a direct replacement for Wheatley, and is likely to appoint someone to a role responsible for running the race team while Binotto retains overall control.

Aston Martin has not confirmed its interest in Wheatley but owner Lawrence Stroll has made him an offer to manage the team under technical partner Adrian Newey.

Newey, who joined Aston Martin in March last year, has been acting as team principal since previous incumbent Andy Coyle was moved to a different role.

Cowell is now focusing on helping engine partner Honda solve its problems with its new engine, which started the 2026 season without performance and reliability.

In a statement on Friday, Stroll reaffirmed his commitment and relationship with Newey, considered the greatest Formula 1 designer in history.

“I would like to reiterate that Adrian Newey is my partner and an important shareholder,” Stroll said. “He is AMR’s managing technical partner, and he and I have a true partnership built on a shared vision for the company’s success.

“We do things differently here, and while we don’t currently adopt the traditional team lead role you see elsewhere, that is 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 trackside.”

Stroll met former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner again this week, but Newey is said to be opposed to his former teammate joining Aston Martin.

Newey left Red Bull in April 2024 due to his strained relationship with Horner after nearly 20 years together.

If Stroll and Whitley finalize their agreement, the new arrangement would free Newey to focus on key areas where he can make a difference without distractions from other responsibilities.

Aston Martin sits last in the championship after two races this season, with a car lagging behind in development compared to its rivals and an engine with significant vibration problems that lacks internal combustion power, energy recovery and deployment.