Red Bull has declared that after eighteen years, Jonathan Wheatley, its Formula One sporting director, will depart to take a position as team principal for Audi.
Serving as a vital component of Red Bull’s pit wall during its championship victories with Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, Wheatley,57, has been employed by the company since 2006.
However, he will now depart Red Bull to take up the role of team principal for Audi’s Formula One team, which is set to emerge from the current Sauber enterprise in 2026.
Wheatley’s impending resignation was revealed by Red Bull on Thursday. He will serve in this capacity for the balance of the 2024 season before taking a gardening leave of absence in 2025.
“It has been a long and successful relationship with Jonathan, over 18 years,” said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
“His contribution to six world constructors’ titles and seven world drivers’ championship, first as team manager and latterly sporting director will forever be a marker in our team history.”
Wheatley’s departure is the second major change to occur at Red Bull in the past six months following confirmation that its chief technical officer, Adrian Newey, would be leaving after 19 years.
In particular, Wheatley assisted Red Bull in setting multiple world records for the fastest pit stops, helping the team establish itself as the most reliable and speedy team when it came to car maintenance during competitions. Wheatley also assisted in managing Red Bull’s athletic activities.
Red Bull said in the statement announcing Wheatley’s departure that it has “tremendous strength and depth and this provides opportunity to elevate others within the team.” The team plans to announce a new team structure “in the coming weeks.”
The most recent significant alteration to Audi’s Formula One preparations is the signing of Wheatley. The German manufacturer replaced Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffmann, who had previously managed the project, with Mattia Binotto, the former manager of the Ferrari team, as its chief operational and technical officer.
Audi declared its intention to join Formula One (F1) in 2022, purchasing the Sauber team and starting an engine program in advance of the new rules that will take effect in 2026, at which point the Swiss-based team will change its name.
Currently, Sauber is bottom of the Formula One constructors’ standings after finishing the first 14 races of the 2024 season without earning any points.
(Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
