Wheatley leaves Audi amid Aston Martin link

A statement from Audi said Wheatley was leaving for "personal reasons". Mattia Binotto will take over the responsibilities of team principal in addition to his role as head of the Audi F1 project while the company takes its time to consider its next steps. The move comes after an Audi board meeting on Friday with Wheatley and Binotto in attendance.

Wheatley had been under contract with Audi for at least the remainder of this year but a decision was made that he should leave immediately. It is the third management restructure in less than two years at Audi. He will have to serve a period of 'gardening leave' before joining another team, the length of which will have to be negotiated between himself, Audi and potentially a future employer.

Key among Wheatley's reasons for leaving were a desire to return to the UK by the end of this year. Audi are not expected to look for a direct replacement for Wheatley, and are more likely to appoint someone to a role that is in charge of running the race team while Binotto retains overall control. Aston Martin have not confirmed their interest in Wheatley but owner Lawrence Stroll has made him an offer to run the team under managing technical partner Adrian Newey.

Newey, who joined Aston Martin in March last year, has been acting as team principal since the position's former occupant Andy Cowell was moved into a different position. Cowell is now focusing on helping engine partner Honda resolve its problems with its new engine, which has started the 2026 season lacking performance and reliability. In a statement on Friday, Stroll re-emphasised his commitment to and relationship with Newey, who is regarded as the greatest F1 designer in history.