Chaos at Aston Martin explodes as Adrian Newey demoted with Jonathan Wheatley to be team principal?
F1 NewsThursday, 19 March 2026 at 16:47
According to reports in multiple credible Formula 1 media outlets, Adrian Newey is set to step down from his role as Aston Martin team principal just months after taking up the position, with Jonathan Wheatley emerging as the leading candidate to replace him at Lawrence Stroll's team.
The move comes amid a difficult start to the 2026 Formula 1 season for Aston Martin, where early promise has been overshadowed by reliability issues, particularly with the Honda power unit that has prevented the AMR26 from completing race distances.
Newey is expected to remain at Aston Martin but shift his focus entirely to technical leadership, stepping away from the operational demands of the team principal role.
The decision reflects the scale of the challenge facing Aston Martin as it looks to stabilise performance while maximising the influence of Newey’s design philosophy on the current car and future development.
Jonathan Wheatley defects from Audi to Aston Martin
Jonathan Wheatley is poised to return to the UK after just 10 months with Audi, where he has been working alongside CEO Mattia Binotto since joining the project last May.
His move to Aston Martin would see him take on the team principal role at a critical moment, with the team struggling for form and consistency at the start of the new regulatory era.
Wheatley spent 20 years at Red Bull, building a reputation as one of the most effective operational leaders in the paddock, and his familiarity with the Silverstone region makes the transition straightforward, with Aston Martin’s campus located just 20 miles from Red Bull’s headquarters.
Sources suggest the move could be influenced by Newey himself, given their long working relationship at Red Bull, with Wheatley potentially seen as the ideal figure to manage the team while Newey focuses on car performance.
At Audi, Wheatley operated with a degree of independence, reporting directly to the board, but his role alongside Binotto limited the full authority typically associated with a team principal position.
Short lived Newey tenure reflects Aston Martin pressure
Newey’s tenure as team principal will prove brief, having only been confirmed four months ago with the role officially beginning in 2026.
The early struggles of the AMR26 have intensified pressure within the team, accelerating a restructure aimed at addressing both technical and organisational weaknesses.
By stepping back into a purely technical role, Newey is expected to have greater impact on resolving the car’s issues, particularly as Aston Martin works to unlock performance from its Honda partnership.
The timing of Wheatley’s arrival will depend on the terms of his Audi contract, leaving Aston Martin in a period of transition as it seeks to reset its direction in the opening phase of the 2026 campaign.
The development also raises questions for Audi, which must now decide whether to appoint a direct replacement for Wheatley or reorganise its leadership structure internally as it prepares for its own Formula 1 future.
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