Jonathan Whitley on how he moved to Sauber/Audi

      Jonathan Wheatley admitted that last year, when rumors first emerged that he was planning to move to another team, he encountered difficulties at Red Bull Racing, where he was then the sporting director. But in the end, it even helped him decide on his career path, as he now became the team principal of Sauber, which will soon change its name to Audi F1.

      It all started during last year's Miami Grand Prix weekend – that was a very tough weekend for Christian Horner, then the head of Red Bull Racing, as Adrian Newey had recently announced his departure from the team. Around the same time, there were rumors in the press that Wheatley was planning to follow Newey’s example.

      Since this was completely unexpected for him, he was not pleased at all. However, afterward, he began receiving offers from other teams, and on August 1, 2024, his contract with Sauber was officially confirmed.

      This was preceded by the appointment of Mattia Binotto, a good friend of Wheatley who previously headed Ferrari, as the team principal of the Swiss team. In May 2025, Binotto’s powers were expanded, and he now oversees the entire Audi F1 program.

      Here’s how Wheatley recalls last year’s events that led him to decide on a career change:

      “Honestly, last year during the Miami weekend, an article was published that made me angry,” Jonathan Wheatley is quoted by RacingNews365. “At that time, I was intentionally barely communicating with the press, but suddenly my name appeared in all the newspapers, which caused difficulties at work.

      But it led to many teams approaching me, and only then did I start thinking about leaving, since it was clear that everyone was very curious about where I might go.

      If I sign a full contract, I fulfill my obligations from beginning to end. I am not the type of person who signs a contract and then tries to find a way out because I’ve been offered something slightly different.

      If I am committed to a team, I am committed to it until the end. You see, I worked for Benetton/Renault for 16 years, then 19 years at Red Bull, and now I have no intention of leaving Sauber/Audi…

      In general, I began receiving numerous offers from other teams, and while I had no necessity to leave the UK to continue my career, none of these offers were as interesting as the Audi project. I still get excited about it, and I almost want to pinch myself thinking about the full-scale transformation awaiting us next year. Everything will be different, and you won’t recognize the old Sauber.

      I can’t put into words how exciting all this is because I am once again involved in a project like the one I joined from the very beginning with Red Bull Racing.”