Adrian Newey is about to step down from his staff principal place on the Aston Martin System 1 staff, the place he’ll get replaced by present Audi staff boss Jonathan Wheatley.
Autosport understands Newey will step down with a view to focus solely on technical issues, as Aston Martin has skilled a greater than underwhelming begin to the 2026 F1 season. Energy unit bother with new associate Honda means the Newey-designed AMR26 at the moment can’t full a complete race.
Wheatley has been working at Audi since final Might alongside CEO Mattia Binotto however will due to this fact return to England after simply 10 months. The timing of the transfer is dependent upon his Audi contract.
Jonathan Wheatley, Audi F1 Workforce Principal
Photograph by: Dom Gibbons / System 1 through Getty Photographs
Aston Martin’s Silverstone campus is situated simply 20 miles away from Pink Bull’s F1 headquarters, the place Wheatley spent 20 years of his profession.
This chance is enticing as Wheatley is about to affix at an especially difficult time for Aston Martin – it may’t actually get any worse. At Audi, loved a sure diploma of autonomy, reporting on to the board, however coexisting with Binotto meant he didn’t have the identical leeway as usually afforded by the staff principal position.
Wheatley could have been endorsed – if not steered to proprietor Lawrence Stroll – by Newey himself, as they spent these twenty years collectively at Pink Bull.
Newey’s promotion to the staff principal position was introduced simply 4 months in the past and was efficient in 2026 solely, so it was short-lived; the present disaster solely made it more durable.
Now, what’s going to Audi’s technique be: trying to find a brand new staff principal, or restructuring the squad internally and/or selling from inside?
We need to hear from you!
Tell us what you wish to see from us sooner or later.
– The Autosport.com Workforce
