Audi reveal Jonathan Wheatley’s start date following Red Bull F1 exit revelation

Jonathan Wheatley has been with Red Bull since 2006.

Following on from Red Bull’s bombshell that Jonathan Wheatley will join Audi as team boss, the German marque has confirmed the signing.

Wheatley will work closely alongside fellow Audi new signing Mattia Binotto, with the current Red Bull sporting director joining the German manufacturer for its entry into F1 in 2026.

Audi confirms dual-management structure with Jonathan Wheatley

Having confirmed the signing of Mattia Binotto before the Belgian Grand Prix, Audi has clarified Wheatley will head up the management team at Sauber Motorsport AG alongside Binotto, with both reporting to Gernot Dollner as chairman of the board at Sauber.

Duties and responsibilities between the duo have been “individually defined”, according to Audi, with both Binotto and Wheatley assuming responsibility for the success of the Audi F1 team when it takes over Sauber for the 2026 championship.

As chief operations officer and chief technical officer, Binotto will take over the operative management of Sauber/Audi, leading the technical development of the racing cars. He will oversee the technical interface between Sauber’s team at Hinwil and Audi Formula Racing GmbH in Neuburg, where the power unit will be developed.

By July 2025, having served gardening leave from Red Bull after the conclusion of the 2024 championship, Wheatley will take up his role as team principal and management spokesperson, focusing on the performance of the team, and operational management of races, and will represent Audi as its F1 team principal.

“I am extremely proud to have been a part of the Red Bull Racing journey over the last 18 years and will leave with many fond memories,” said Wheatley.

“However, the opportunity to play an active part in Audi’s entry into Formula 1 as head of a factory team is a uniquely exciting prospect, and I am looking forward to the challenge. Also, I am glad to be working together with Mattia, whom I have known for many years and who is the right person to collaborate with in this exciting project.”

Binotto welcomed Wheatley to the Audi project, saying: “I have known Jonathan for many years and rate him highly as an experienced and committed motorsport expert. 2026 is not a long time away now, and I’m looking forward to setting up the new racing team for Audi along with Jonathan and leading it to success.“

“With the appointment of Jonathan and Mattia, we have taken a decisive step towards our entry into Formula 1,“ Gernot Dollner, Audi’s CEO.

“I am convinced that with the two of them, we have been able to combine an extremely high level of competence for Audi. Their experience and their ability will help us to get a foothold quickly in the tough competitive world of Formula 1.“

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Red Bull pays tribute to departing Jonathan Wheatley

The appointments of Binotto and Wheatley come shortly after confirmation that Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffmann, both instrumental figureheads over the past 18 months of building the Audi F1 project, have departed.

Earlier on Thursday, Red Bull confirmed Wheatley is to depart the Milton Keynes-based squad after 18 years – Wheatley currently serves as the reigning Champions’ sporting director and has played a key role in all the championships Red Bull has won during its two-decade history.

With Red Bull having renewed the contracts of most of its leading engineers in recent months, including technical director Pierre Waché, chief engineer Paul Monaghan, and aero head Enrico Balbo, a conspicuous absentee from the list had been sporting director Jonathan Wheatley.

The reason behind this became clear on Thursday, as Red Bull confirmed Wheatley’s switch to Audi following a period of gardening leave in 2025.

“Today, Oracle Red Bull Racing announces the departure of Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley, as he heads to a new challenge, taking up the role of Team Principal with the Audi F1 Project”, said a statement from Red Bull.

Wheatley had been linked with a move into team management for some time, with his name having emerged as a potential successor to Christian Horner had Red Bull opted for change during the peak of the turmoil that enveloped the team early in the year.

Audi initially declined to comment on Red Bull’s statement, with confirmation of Wheatley’s signing coming just a few hours later with a statement of its own.

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