Before Audi officially took over from Sauber ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season, the team experienced frequent leadership changes. It appeared that its hierarchy was more stable, starting the season with Jonathan Wheatley at the helm.
However, Adrian Newey recently stepped down as team principal at Aston Martin, and Wheatley quickly returned to the UK to take his place.
Wheatley and Newey, former colleagues at Red Bull, share a close friendship, which likely influenced the former's decision. Additionally, his return to the UK aligns with a personal desire to be closer to his family, rather than remain in Switzerland for most of the year.
As a result of Wheatley's departure from Audi, Mattia Binotto is set to fill in as their team principal moving forward. The Italian was reportedly offered the role on a full-time basis, but he turned it down in favor of finding a permanent replacement at a later date.
Binotto’s past failures may haunt Audi
Binotto spent four seasons as Ferrari’s team principal from 2019 to 2022. His tenure was not a smooth one, as there was seemingly at least one issue plaguing the team at all times. While some hardships he faced early on were inherited from his predecessor, Maurizio Arrivabene, Binotto was unable to truly lead Ferrari.
The former Ferrari team principal was tasked with making Ferrari more competitive in his first two seasons, while managing driver tensions between Charles Leclerc and Sebastien Vettel. In his final two seasons, there were several errors, including pit stop issues, reliability problems, and strategic mishaps, which ultimately cost either Leclerc or Carlos Sainz Jr. a number of podium finishes and race wins.
Given Binotto’s history, similar challenges may occur within Audi starting with the Japanese Grand Prix. Whether he has adapted his approach remains to be seen; ongoing evaluation will determine the impact on Audi’s results in the following races.
The general consensus is that Binotto’s skillset is better utilized in a broader oversight role, such as chief operating officer and chief technical officer. Especially after such a promising start to their first season, Audi should want to find stability and name a permanent team principal as soon as possible, just like they did with Wheatley in 2025 when he took over three races into the season.