Audi has confirmed the departure of team boss Jonathan Wheatley following reports he will replace Adrian Newey in a similar role at Aston Martin.
On Thursday, ESPN reported F1 design legend Newey is stepping back from the role of team principal to focus on his original job with the team as executive chairman and managing technical partner, which he started in early 2025.
Newey became team principal last November on top of his wider role with the team.
On Friday, Audi announced Wheatley would be leaving the team immediately “for personal reasons” and that F1 project head Mattia Binotto will take over his role for the time being.
Aston Martin has not yet confirmed who is taking over in the team boss position.
Shortly after Audi’s press release, Aston Martin put out a statement from team owner Lawrence Stroll addressing this week’s rumours and stressing Newey’s importance to the organisation.
Stroll’s statement said: “With the current speculation surrounding Adrian Newey’s role in our team, I want to take this opportunity to set the record straight.
“As Executive Chairman and Controlling Shareholder, I would like to reaffirm that Adrian Newey is my partner and an important shareholder.
“He is AMR’s Managing Technical Partner, and he and I have a true partnership built on a shared vision of success for the company.
“We do things differently here, and while we don’t currently adopt the traditional Team Principal role that you see elsewhere — it is by design.
“As the most successful engineer in the history of the sport, Adrian’s primary focus is on the strategic and technical leadership where he excels. He is supported by a highly skilled Senior Leadership Team to deliver on all aspects of the business, both at the Campus and trackside.
“We are regularly approached by senior executives of other teams who wish to join Aston Martin Aramco, but in keeping with our policy, we do not comment on rumour and speculation.”
Wheatley’s departure from Audi comes almost exactly one year after he started with the Swiss-based team.
