Former Red Bull stalwart set for "exciting" debut for new team

13:00, 01 Apr

Updated: 15:50, 01 Apr

byEwan Gale

New Sauber team principal Jonathan Wheatley is "excited" to make his race debut at this weekend's Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix with the team following his switch from Red Bull.

Wheatley had spent almost two decades with Red Bull, winning numerous titles with the Milton Keynes-based outfit before leaving his post as sporting director as one of a number of senior engineering departures last year.

He now takes up the team principal role at Hinwil-based Sauber as it continues its preparation for the transition to Audi's works team from next season, working alongside former Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto.

Speaking for the first time for Sauber ahead of this weekend's event, Wheatley said: “After spending time meeting our employees at the factory in Hinwil, I am excited to join the team at the historic Suzuka Circuit for my first race and get working on our plans for this season and beyond.”

Binotto: 'Solid understanding of where to improve'

After a disastrous 2024 season, Sauber has at least found a glimmer of hope with the pace shown across the first two weekends of the season and has already broken into the top 10 on race day.

But COO and CTO Binotto explained: "The first few races of the season have given us a solid understanding of where we stand as a team and where we need to improve.

"Both Melbourne and Shanghai showed that we have the potential to fight for points, while China was more unlucky and difficult, but still valuable in terms of data and learning.

"Suzuka is a circuit that demands precision and confidence in high-speed corners, and it will be crucial to get everything right from the start of the weekend.

"With a triple-header ahead, consistency will be key – we need to take advantage of every opportunity and keep making progress. The team is working hard, both trackside and back at base in Hinwil, and we are fully focused on moving forward together."