Who is Jonathan Wheatley, the Red Bull chief leaving for Audi F1?
F1 News
- Nicole Mulder
Jonathan Wheatley's announced departure from Red Bull Racing is keeping tempers pretty high in the Formula 1 world. Wheatley, who is leaving for Audi to take up the role of team principal, is the next headliner to part ways with the Austrian racing stable after Adrian Newey. This is the story of the man who was part of the Red Bull family for 18 years and has worked in F1 for more than 30 years.
Jonathan Wheatley in Formula 1
Jonathan Wheatley is the sporting director of Red Bull Racing. The Briton has been with the Austrian Formula 1 team since 2006 but announced in the summer of 2024 that he was leaving the team of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez at the end of this season. He aspired to a team boss role and will take up that role at Audi, where he will join former Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto in leading the team.
Wheatley already has a long F1 career behind him. The 57-year-old Briton started as a mechanic at Benetton in 1991, the same year Michael Schumacher made his Grand Prix debut in motorsport's premier class, also at Benetton. There, he worked his way up to chief mechanic over the years. Even when Benetton moved on as Renault, Wheatley remained loyal to the team until he left for Red Bull in 2006.
Jonathan Wheatley at Red Bull Racing
At Red Bull, Wheatley was given several responsibilities. These included ensuring that the team operated within the FIA's sporting regulations and also being responsible for communication between the team and the governing body and race control. In addition, he oversaw Red Bull's pit crew, which for years has been unbeatable at making the fastest pit stops.
Wheatley had previously made clear his ambition to become team boss, and he was also mentioned as a candidate when turmoil arose around the investigation into Christian Horner ahead of the 2024 season. Horner stayed on, and after the announced departure of CTO Adrian Newey, rumours of Wheatley's possible departure increased.
Jonathan Wheatley to join Binotto and become Audi boss
It was confirmed in the summer of 2024: Wheatley is stepping down from Red Bull after the current F1 season. After 18 years working for the team, he felt it was time for a new challenge. After a period of mandatory leave (gardening leave) in 2025, he will start work as team boss at Audi, which will make its entry on the grid in 2026 after taking over from Sauber. Together with Binotto, who was announced as CTO shortly before, he will lead the German manufacturer's F1 project.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy