Briton Jonathan Wheatley is leaving Red Bull after this season after almost 20 years and will become team boss of the designated Audi racing team in Formula 1 from 2026. The spectacular change, which had already been speculated about, was announced by Red Bull and later also by the future Audi team Sauber.

And this was on the first day of work for the new Audi project manager Mattia Binotto. This means that two important personnel issues have been resolved at the racing team, which will compete as an Audi team from 2026 following the takeover of Sauber.

Wheatley will take a break in 2025

“It has been a long and successful relationship with Jonathan, spanning over 18 years,” said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner in a statement. He praised Wheatley’s contribution to six constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ titles as team manager and sporting director. This is a milestone that will be forever immortalized in the team’s history.

Wheatley will remain in his current position as sporting director until the end of the year. The 57-year-old is expected to take up the post at Audi by July 2025 at the latest, following a suspension period. “I’m looking forward to the challenge,” Wheatley was quoted as saying in a Sauber statement.

The Volkswagen subsidiary recently parted ways with Andreas Seidl, the previous managing director of the future factory team, as well as with Oliver Hoffmann, who had most recently been general representative for the Formula 1 project.

For Red Bull, Wheatley’s departure is another major loss of personnel. Design genius Adrian Newey will also leave the team in the first quarter of 2025. With his racing car designs, he played a key role in Red Bull’s success, initially with the German four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and, more recently, with three-time champion Max Verstappen from the Netherlands.