Audi F1 has officially confirmed Wheatley and Binotto will lead its team, with clearly defined roles.
Just days after the reorganization of the future Audi F1 factory team’s management with the appointment of Mattia Binotto, another milestone has been reached.
As announced by Red Bull earlier this afternoon, with Jonathan Wheatley, Audi has secured the services of another high-level expert for its ambitious F1 project.
“I am thrilled that we have been able to recruit Jonathan Wheatley as team director for our future Formula 1 team,” states Gernot Döllner, CEO of AUDI AG.
“Jonathan has played a major role in numerous Formula 1 victories and world championship titles throughout his career so far, and brings extensive experience in the paddock. He is a very valuable asset to our team.”
Jonathan Wheatley’s Formula 1 career began in the early 1990s at Benetton Formula One, where he became chief mechanic. He later joined the new Red Bull Racing team, where he achieved considerable success as sporting director. During his time at Red Bull Racing, Wheatley contributed to six constructors’ world championship titles and seven drivers’ world championship titles.
Mattia Binotto and Jonathan Wheatley will jointly lead the new management team of Sauber Motorsport AG. In their new roles, both will report directly to Gernot Döllner, in his capacity as chairman of the board of Sauber Motorsport AG. They will jointly bear responsibility for the racing team’s success. The division of tasks is clear and responsibilities have been individually defined.
As COO and CTO, Mattia Binotto will oversee the operational management of Sauber Motorsport AG at the Hinwil site and the technical development of future racing cars. In this role, he is the overall technical interface between the Hinwil development teams and Audi Formula Racing GmbH at the Audi site in Neuburg an der Donau, which is responsible for powertrain development.
By July 2025, Jonathan Wheatley will complete the new leadership team for Audi’s Formula 1 as Team Principal and management spokesperson. He will primarily focus on the race performance of the future factory F1 team, the operational management of all race events, and representing Audi at the Team Principal level for Formula 1-related matters.
The decision for a dual leadership team is part of the realignment of the control structure of the future factory team amid the complete takeover of all Sauber Group shares by Audi.
“With the appointments of Jonathan and Mattia, we have taken a decisive step towards our entry into Formula 1,” continues Gernot Döllner.
“I am confident that with both of them, we have combined an extremely high level of expertise for Audi. Their experience and skills will help us quickly establish ourselves in the competitive and challenging world of Formula 1.”
“I am extremely proud to have been part of the Red Bull Racing adventure over the past eighteen years and I will leave with many fond memories,” adds Jonathan Wheatley, future director of the Audi F1 factory team.
“However, the opportunity to play an active role in Audi’s entry into Formula 1 as the head of a factory team is a particularly exciting prospect, and I look forward to taking on this challenge. I am also pleased to be working with Mattia, whom I have known for many years and who is the right person to collaborate with on this exciting project.”
Mattia Binotto, COO and CTO of Sauber Motorsport AG, concludes: “I have known Jonathan for many years and consider him a committed and experienced motorsport expert. 2026 is not far off now, and I am eager to set up the new Audi racing team with Jonathan and lead it to success.”
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Wheatley-Binotto to Steer Audi’s F1 Team Forward Wheatley-Binotto to Steer Audi’s F1 Team Forward
