Jonathan Wheatley strengthens Sauber’s leadership with Simon Sproule, preparing the team for a new era ahead of Audi’s F1 debut.
Jonathan Wheatley has made a key hire following his recent appointment as Team Principal at Sauber.
After spending 19 years at Red Bull as Team Manager and then Sporting Director, Wheatley began his new role with the Sauber group in early April.
This year marks a learning period for Wheatley as he prepares for the full transition to a factory team with Audi’s entry into Formula 1 next season.
To support him in this journey, Wheatley has brought on Simon Sproule, a well-established name in motorsport, as Senior Consultant. Sproule will assist Wheatley with trackside decisions. Both are working under the leadership of Mattia Binotto.
With over 30 years of experience, Sproule has held various senior communication roles with major manufacturers, including Ford, Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan, Tesla, Aston Martin Lagonda, and Fiat Chrysler.
Wheatley and Sproule’s paths first crossed during Sproule’s time at Nissan when Infiniti, a Nissan subsidiary, was a title sponsor and technical partner to Red Bull Racing for several years in the past decade.
Reflecting on his vision for the team ahead of the Audi F1 transformation, Wheatley stated: “This is a small team in transition to become a true official Formula 1 outfit.”
“There are numerous projects to be tackled. One of them is uniting the teams. As a team, we need to learn to embrace discomfort, because change is coming.”
“We need to be at the forefront and have a clear roadmap on the direction we’re heading – and I believe we’re on that path right now.”
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Sauber F1: Wheatley Appoints Sproule for Major Shift Sauber F1: Wheatley Appoints Sproule for Major Shift
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