Audi team principal set to join F1 rivals as official statement on exit issued

Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley is reportedly set to join a rival team after his exit was officially confirmed.

On Friday, rumours circulated that Wheatley would leave Audi with immediate effect and the 58-year-old's departure was officially confirmed via a statement on Friday afternoon.

It read: "As it continues its journey towards the front of the grid, Audi Revolut F1® Team will implement significant changes to its senior management structure.

"Due to personal reasons, Jonathan Wheatley will depart the team with immediate effect. The team thanks Jonathan for his contribution to the project and wishes him the best for his future endeavours."

The statement added: "Mattia Binotto, Head of Audi F1 Project, will continue leading the team while taking over additional responsibilities as Team Principal. Since joining at the helm of the project in 2024, Mattia has been in charge of the transformation of the team as Audi prepared for and ultimately entered F1 as a chassis and power unit manufacturer."

Wheatley has been touted as a potential replacement for Adrian Newey as team principal of Aston Martin.

According to Sky Sports, Wheatley is being targeted to take over as team principal in order to allow Newey to 'prioritise car development'.

It has been claimed that although Newey was only appointed team principal at the start of 2026, he is 'understood to welcome Wheatley's possible arrival'.

With Wheatley filling the team principal role, it has been said that Newey will then be freed up to concentrate on Aston Martin's AMR26, which has proved to be problematic so far this season.

However, despite potentially being removed as team principal, Newey's power with the Silverstone-based team will not be reduced.

The 67-year-old is believed to have 'authority over all technical matters and report only to team owner Lawrence Stroll'.

Jonathan Wheatley has been linked with Aston Martin. Image: Getty

Lawrence Stroll speaks out on Adrian Newey rumours

As per Planet F1, Stroll released a statement to clarify the rumours surrounding his team's hierarchy.

Stroll said: "With the current speculation surrounding Adrian Newey’s role in our team, I want to take this opportunity to set the record straight. As Executive Chairman and Controlling Shareholder, I would like to reaffirm that Adrian Newey is my partner and an important shareholder. He is AMR’s Managing Technical Partner, and he and I have a true partnership built on a shared vision of success for the company.

"We do things differently here, and while we don’t currently adopt the traditional Team Principal role that you see elsewhere – it is by design."

He continued: "As the most successful engineer in the history of the sport, Adrian’s primary focus is on the 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 at the Campus and trackside.

"We are regularly approached by senior executives of other teams who wish to join Aston Martin Aramco, but in keeping with our policy, we do not comment on rumour and speculation."

So far in the 2026 campaign, Aston Martin have endured a wretched start, having failed to impress during both the Australian and the Chinese Grands Prix.

The 2026 Formula 1 season will continue next weekend with the Japanese Grand Prix around the iconic Suzuka Circuit.