Why has Wheatley left Audi – and is he off to Aston Martin?

Jonathan Wheatley has stepped down as Audi Team Principal with immediate effect, marking a surprise exit just a year into his tenure. Despite a successful partnership with Mattia Binotto that saw early progress for the team, including points finishes for Gabriel Bortoleto, Wheatley has departed his role. Binotto will now take over the Team Principal responsibilities permanently as part of his broader leadership of the Audi F1 project. Speculation suggests Aston Martin expressed interest in hiring Wheatley to alleviate the dual-role burden currently held by Adrian Newey. However, Aston Martin Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll has firmly denied these rumours, reaffirming Newey’s position as Managing Technical Partner and emphasizing that the team intentionally operates without a traditional Team Principal role. Wheatley is expected to undergo a period of gardening leave before deciding on his next steps.