Shortly after Red Bull announced the departure of their Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley, Audi released a statement confirming his arrival and explaining his role alongside Mattia Binotto.
Not long after Audi signed Binotto as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technical Officer of their Formula 1 project, the German marque managed to poach Wheatley from Red Bull to play the role of their F1 Team Principal.
Audi did not wait for questions to arise around how Wheatley and Binotto will work together and issued a statement clarifying how their new hire will operate and he role of each.
Audi's statement said: "Only a few days after the realignment of the management team for the future Audi F1 factory team with the appointment of Mattia Binotto, the next step has now been taken.
"With Jonathan Wheatley, Audi has acquired the services of a further top-ranking expert for its ambitious F1 project."
Gernot Döllner, CEO of AUDI AG, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to gain Jonathan Wheatley as Team Principal for our future Formula 1 team.
"Jonathan has played a major part in many Formula 1 race victories and World Championship titles in his Formula 1 career so far, and has extensive experience in the paddock. He is a very valuable addition to our team," Döllner added.
Audi's statement continued giving a brief insight on Wheatley's career: "Jonathan Wheatley’s career in Formula 1 started back in the early 1990s at Benetton Formula One, where he rose to become chief mechanic. He then moved to the newly founded Red Bull Racing team, where has been very successful as Sporting Director.
"In his time at Red Bull Racing, Wheatley has been involved in winning all six constructor’s and seven Driver’s World Championships.
Audi adopting a dual management team
"Mattia Binotto and Jonathan Wheatley will together head the new management team at Sauber Motorsport AG," the statement went on explaining the roles of Binotto and Wheatey.
"In their new positions, both will report directly to Gernot Döllner in his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sauber Motorsport AG. They will jointly take responsibility for the success of the racing team. There is a clear division of duties, and responsibilities have been individually defined.
"As COO and CTO, Mattia Binotto takes over the operative management of Sauber Motorsport AG at the site in Hinwil and the technical development of the future racing cars. In this role he is the overall technical interface between the development teams in Hinwil and Audi Formula Racing GmbH at the Audi site in Neuburg an der Donau, which is responsible for development of the power unit.
"By July 2025 at the latest – Jonathan Wheatley will complete Audi’s new management team for Formula 1 in the role of Team Principal and management spokesperson," Audi's statement revealed.
"He will focus above all on the racing performance of the future F1 factory team, on operational management of all race events, and on representing Audi at Team-Principal level in matters relating to Formula 1.
"The decision in favor of a dual management team is part of the realignment of the control structure of the future factory team in the context of the full takeover of all shares in the Sauber Group by Audi," the statement concluded.
“With the appointment of Jonathan and Mattia we have taken a decisive step towards our entry into Formula 1,"Döllner said.
"“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," he concluded.
Wheatley: Proud to have been a part of the Red Bull Racing journey
Jonathan Wheatley, the future Team Principal of the Audi F1 factory team, commented: “I am extremely proud to have been a part of the Red Bull Racing journey over the last eighteen years and will leave with many fond memories.
"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," he concluded.
Mattia Binotto, COO and CTO of Sauber Motorsport AG, added: "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."
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