One of the more bizarre Formula One happenings took place in the week leading top to the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix. Jonathan Wheatley, the team principal, left the new F1 outfit with immediate effect. Wheatley was a lifer at Milton Keynes, fulfilling the role of sporting director for many years. He was credited with why Red Bull Racing was such a slick operation trackside and his knowledge of the sporting regulations put certain F1 race directors to shame.
Yet the ‘call up higher’ came from Audi in August 2024 and given his loyalty to the Milton Keynes based organisation an exit with minimal garden leave was expedited. Clearly, Red Bull would not stand in the way of one of their own having been offered the top job at another team.
Wheatley’s impact at Audi was immediate
Wheatley joined Sauber in March 2025 to oversea the impending transition to becoming the Audi works F1 team. He and his wife moved to Switzerland where the production facility for Sauber is located and all seemed rosy in the garden.
Wheatley’s arrival had an immediate effect on the race team as their pitstop procedures became more polished and in Barcelona Sauber delivered the quickest pit stop of all during the Spanish Grand Prix. He recruited key staff members and led a cultural shift in the Swiss based outfit to one of “continuous improvement” together with higher performance standards.
The impact of Wheatley was also seen in the team’s results. The C45 became a more predictable car for its drivers and as the season progressed Nico Hulkenberg became a regular points finisher. The highlight of the season was at the British Grand Prix when the German driver finally broke his podium duck after 239 races – the most by a driver in history without making the top three in a Grand Prix.
In November 2025, Wheatley described being “very happy” with his life in Switzerland and even proposed the idea that Audi approach Max Verstappen to become one of their drivers. With grown up children it was unlikely there had been any family upheaval as the British engineer moved to Europe.
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Hulkenberg “oh shit” moment
Then BOOM. Wheatley was gone. Whatever happened at Audi F1, it was clearly a deep rift of ideas between the CEO Mattia Binotto and the team principal. In the drivers’ press conference prior to the 2026 Japanese GP, Nico Hulkenberg reveals both his surprise at Wheatley’s sudden departure along with reasons for the split.
In fact it was Hulkenberg’s mother who broke the news. “I found out together with the world. I found out on Thursday,” the German revealed in the FIA press conference. “Last week, Thursday, when it popped out.
“Actually, I was in the sim that day and my mum sent me an article. And I’m between run looking at my phone and I’m like, ‘oh s**t!’.” As was to be expected Wheatley’s shock departure was attributed by a statement from Audi to “personal reasons” although rumours quickly circulated it was due to a rift with Binotto.
Hulkenberg appeared quite sanguine over the matter suggesting it was an every day occurrence, people coming and going in the F1 paddock. “I mean, it’s part of the business. If you look up and down, every team has that,” said the German driver. “And there are sometimes these phases. But if there is a problem, a fundamental problem, with one of the central leaders of the team, then you have to take action. Obviously, here there was a problem. I don’t know the exact details. I haven’t really spoken to him in depth yet. But if there’s an issue, you also need to act and react. Otherwise, that’s no good either.”
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Wheatley criticises Audi powertrain
Hulkenberg’s attitude was very matter of fact relating that it was a “business as usual” approach the team were adopting for the race weekend in Suzuka. Yet a report from German publication Bild reveals there were frequent “clashes and disagreements” between Wheatley and Binotto together with a lack of clarity over day to day responsibilities.
As an F1 team principal the role wold normally include ultimate supervision responsibilities for the entire operation designing and producing the cars. Yet at Audi, Binotto retained a significant amount of sway over this aspect of the team, rather than merely focusing on the Audi engine programme back in Germany.
He treated Wheatley as the glorified trackside director of operations, the role he was performing at Red Bull Racing. Clearly Wheatley believed his remit was much wider than this and just days before his departure he revealed a “long conversation” he’d had with Binotto over the progress of the Audi F1 powertrain programme.
“What I can tell you is that I had a long conversation with Mattia about this [the power unit], the analysis that we’ve done,” said Wheatley said following the Chinese Grand Prix. “We’re careful about what we say in public about it.One of the areas of focus for us in the next development cycle is the PU. We think there’s some work that we can do in that area.”
Shanghai had been a disappointing weekend for Audi F1 with Gabriel Bortoleto failing to start the Grand Prix due to engine related issues. Nico Hulkenberg suffered mechanical gremlins too and limped home a lap down on the leaders.
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Audi F1 engine a touchy subject
In his post race comments, Jonathan Wheatley appeared to be particularly careful in his choice of words. “I think it’s a track that exposed our weaknesses in many areas,” he said. “One of the things that was interesting here is that in racing situations, how key driveability is.
“It remains a challenge of us to get on top of these driveability issues, because basically Nico had a couple of situations, at I think Turn 6, where it was hard to recover from them because you’ve got to get the engine back in its operating window.”
When pressed on exactly what he meant by poor drivability from the Audi powertrain, Wheatley became cautious.“You’re getting very close to Mattia-type questions and not Jonathan-type questions!,” he said. “But look, basically, it’s the response of the PU in those situations when you have to react rather than act, I suppose.”
Clearly Wheatley believes the fundamental difficulties which Audi are facing presently are predominantly engine related, whilst on his side of the operations things were going pretty well. Audi joining F1 was always going to be a high pressure project and Binotto from his brief time in charge at Ferrari is not known as the best of man managers. Where Audi go next is anyone’s guess, having burned through senior figures such as Andrea Seidl and Oliver Hoffman together with Adam Baker in the past three seasons.
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Last Updated on March 25 2026, 2:51 pm
Ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, the crisis at Aston Martin has taken another unusual turn, with Fernando Alonso notably absent at the start of the Suzuka weekend. The team officially claims that the Spaniard’s delayed arrival is due to “family matters”. However, given the intense pressure the team is already under, the timing has only amplified concerns that all is not well behind the scenes.
On Wednesday, Aston Martin confirmed that Alonso would miss the mandatory media day, an obligation usually observed by all drivers unless exceptional circumstances apply. The two-time world champion is expected to arrive later, in time for his on-track duties. However, the perception is hard to ignore, especially given the team’s poor performance at the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season…. CONTINUE READING
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
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