Audi clarifies the roles of Mattia Binotto and Jonathan Wheatley, the two major recruits to the F1 project
Audi has announced the appointment of Jonathan Wheatley, former technical director at Red Bull, as team manager and spokesman for Audi management. Mattia Binotto, who joined the team several days ago, will take on the role of Technical Director and Director of Operations.
This Thursday, Jonathan Wheatley, technical director in the reigning champion team Red Bull, was appointed team principal of the future Audi F1 team (currently Sauber). He will leave his position at Red Bull at the end of the 2024 season. This is Audi’s second major move, following the earlier announcement of Mattia Binotto.
Audi team’s return on the announcement.
After 18 years of collaboration, the new director, Jonathan Wheatley, leaves his old team as he firmly believes in Audi’s project. With the mandatory gardening period that prevents him from joining a rival team for some time, he will therefore join the team by mid-July 2025.
So far, the German team had not yet spoken out on the situation. Through an official statement shared later in the evening yesterday, Gernot Döllner, director of Audi AG, commented on the arrival of the new member. « I am delighted that we have been able to recruit Jonathan Wheatley as team principal for our future Formula 1 team. Jonathan has played a key role in many race wins and world championship titles during his Formula 1 career, and has extensive experience in the paddock. He is a very valuable addition to our team,” he said.
In this statement, the director also wanted to share the missions that will be assigned to the team.
Well-defined roles
The two new hires, Jonathan Wheatley and Mattia Binotto, will both be responsible for overseeing Sauber Motorsport AG, reporting directly to Gernot Döllner, Chairman of the Board of Sauber Motorsport AG.
On one side, Mattia Binotto will hold the position of technical director and director of operations, managing technical innovations and the deployment of suitable technologies from Sauber Motorsport AG at the Hinwil site. He will oversee in particular the technical development of future racing cars. He will act as a technical interface, a mediator, between the development teams in Hinwil and those at Audi Formula Racing GmbH at the Audi site in Neuburg an der Donau, responsible for the development of the power unit.
On the other hand, by the mid-season 2025, Jonathan Wheatley, who will finally be able to join the team, will complete Audi’s new management team as team manager and spokesperson. He will focus especially on the future team’s race performance, operational management of all race-related events and will represent Audi on F1 matters.
The decision to set up a management team on two poles stems from the desire for a new control structure within the team. Audi, which will replace Sauber in 2026, explains its choice by the skills of the two men. The collaboration between Jonathan Wheatley and Mattia Binotto should result in a competitive team thanks to their acquired skills. “Their experience and abilities will help us quickly establish ourselves in the competitive world of Formula 1,” said Gernot Döllner.
The main objective is therefore to establish itself quickly in the world of Formula 1 and to offer competitive cars from the first year. This seems achievable, as both parties are enthusiastic about working together. The countdown to 2026 has begun, and Audi’s entry into Formula 1 is certainly a highly anticipated event.
