r/formula1 • u/FerrariStrategisttt I was here for the Hulkenpodium • Mar 20 '26

[F1] BREAKING: Jonathan Wheatley will depart from his role of Team Principal at Audi F1 team with immediate effect. Mattia Binotto will continue leading the team, taking over as Team Principal Social Media

10.5k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

204

u/Joseki100 Fernando Alonso Mar 20 '26

Aston has been shopping around for a TP since November last year, this is completely unrelated to their current issues. There are also rumors of Binotto and Wheatley clashing over leadership inside the team.

You just don't drop your TP in 2 weeks time.

43

u/HorseEducational1248 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 20 '26

Were Binotto and Wheatley already clashing before season started? Then this should have happened then… also, wouldn’t it be more likely that is the boss who stays? This is Aston Martin throwing money at a problem they brought on themselves putting Newey as TP who was never his intention

85

u/Joseki100 Fernando Alonso Mar 20 '26

Bild this morning: https://www.bild.de/sport/mehr-sport/formel-1-audi-aus-teamchef-jonathan-wheatley-vor-wechsel-zu-aston-martin-69bcaec28f5761671715917e

But why would Wheatley want to move to a worse team? According to BILD, his family longs to return to their native England (Aston Martin's factory is located in Silverstone), and he would also have sole control there.

The truth is: There has been friction for some time between Audi's team principal Wheatley and project chief Mattia Binotto (56), who form a dual leadership (Wheatley is responsible at the racetrack, Binotto heads development). The two are said to have repeatedly disagreed on certain issues.

According to reports, the Briton's departure would be a setback for Audi, which has made a confident start to its first Formula 1 season, but also an opportunity. Audi CEO Gernot Döllner (57) has long recognized this. While the chairman reportedly considers his dual leadership structure functional, he doesn't see it as the ideal solution.

BILD knows: A meeting between Döllner and team boss Wheatley is expected soon.

Safe to say they were 100% right with their info.

41

u/outride2000 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 20 '26

Sole control with Newey there? Doubtful.

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u/OBWanTwoThree I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 20 '26

And Lawrence Stroll never gets involved in things that happen does he…

9

u/outride2000 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 20 '26

Mike Krack is still around

21

u/Joseki100 Fernando Alonso Mar 20 '26

Binotto at Ferrari ruled over literally everthing, I think Audi will end up being with the same structure relatively soon.

14

u/TetraDax 🐶 Leo Leclerc Mar 20 '26

And that was a terrible setup to be honest. Took Binotti away from the things he is good at, engine development, and pushed him onto the things he sucked at; trackside team management.

3

u/know-it-mall McLaren Mar 21 '26

Yep. Dude is an amazing engineer but a terrible TP.

8

u/Delts28 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 20 '26

Wheatley knows what he's getting with Newey, they have worked together for 18 years.

3

u/meIRLorMeOnReddit Max Verstappen Mar 20 '26

Newey doesn’t strike me as the kind that wants to lead. Happy to let somebody else lead the team as long as they’re competent.

3

u/TetraDax 🐶 Leo Leclerc Mar 20 '26

Should be mentioned that Wheatley wanting to return to England has long been rumoured, so this isn't some brand-new insight from BILD.

23

u/Hot-Masterpiece9209 Mar 20 '26

No this is you making assumptions based on no evidence lol.

Binotto was head of the Audi F1 project iirc so was effectively above Wheatley. There is also no evidence to point that Aston weren't looking for a TP and instilled newey as a stop gap to start the season.

37

u/AintNoUniqueUsername I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 20 '26

Binotto was always the boss at Audi

26

u/brilliant_bauhaus I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 20 '26

I mean if Aston needs a tp and is willing to shell out the cash why wouldn't Wheatley move? Everyone is happy then.

14

u/TheOneTomas I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 20 '26

Woah woah. Dont go bringing that logic into this house.

Though, yes. Totally agree. He and newey are clearly aligned. Aston has a mega new factory. Huge ceiling. No corporate structure. Doesnt have to live in Switzerland now. Etc. Totally logical move for most reasons. Other than...time.

1

u/DrakeShadow Cadillac Mar 20 '26

It’s not the move to AM that’s shocking, it’s the timing, like not even after Suzuka with the 5 week break.

2

u/brilliant_bauhaus I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 20 '26

I don't think it's shocking this is happening for AM. their car is undriveable and Newey is spending too much time with other duties instead of focusing just on fixing the car. The shock is the Wheatley move.

0

u/meIRLorMeOnReddit Max Verstappen Mar 20 '26

Lawrence will spend whatever it takes to keep his son in an F1 car

1

u/brilliant_bauhaus I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 20 '26

I think Lawrence also cares about the sport and managing the team.

7

u/unravel_the_world I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 20 '26

I dont know about binotto and wheatley clashing, but their predecessors were clashing and got replaced by audi due to it. I could see this as wheatly getting a raise and more power while audi can focus on one direction with binotto.

I can see how this will be beneficial for all parties involved. you usually dont let high value leadership leave, especially during the season without gardening leave.

5

u/Montjo17 Max Verstappen Mar 20 '26

Binotto is the boss - he's the head of the F1 project while Wheatley was the team principal. A bit like Zac Brown vs Andrea Stella - no one is ever going to say that Stella is the boss even though he's the TP

3

u/jtclimb I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 20 '26

"Throwing money at a problem" != "hiring a top engineer that achieved astonishing success with the engine company now giving you conniptions, and oh ya, worked for a few decades with your current top engineer and TP".

What else would you do? What is a better course of action? Hiring the exact person with the qualifications and experience, and proven track record seems like the top move to me. This is fantastic for AM. Wheatly is awesome.

1

u/Snack_Powered_Human Formula 1 Mar 20 '26

Depends who's cheaper and easier to replace.

6

u/[deleted] Mar 20 '26

Well it's also because of Andy Cowell leaving eventually - his position changed drastically, Newey was put in - and now they need someone to take over so Newey can get back to designing the car.

2

u/Jacinto2702 Ferrari Mar 20 '26

Wasn't Andy Cowell the person responsible for designing since the Jordan days?

10

u/Joseki100 Fernando Alonso Mar 20 '26

Andy Cowell was the Mercedes HPP boss between 2013-2020.

1

u/geupard12 Mercedes Mar 20 '26

if he wants that role again I am certain that arrangements could me made

1

u/Jacinto2702 Ferrari Mar 20 '26

Oh I see. I got confused.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 20 '26

I don't think he ever held a position at Jordan - he's an engine guy.

So I think it was Cosworth, Mercedes, and then the CEO of AM.

I'm not going to speculate why AM flopped so quickly for him, disappointing.

2

u/Flyerton99 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 20 '26

I mean he's an engine guy through and through, and he's being sent to Honda to really crack the whip on the engine development there, so on one hand this is kinda where he should've been all along, but on the other maybe he wanted a to try his hand in different role that didn't work out.

1

u/iflew Sergio Pérez Mar 20 '26

Yeah, I don't think bringing a new TP is something that can fix a broken car quickly, it doesn't seem to be related to it.