F1 team principals: Jonathan Wheatley gone, Adrian Newey shock and Fred Vasseur in the hotseat

Wheatley in Audi F1 jacket edited next to Newey in Aston Martin kit with a racing green background — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 team principals

F1 team principals: Wheatley gone, Newey shock and Vasseur in the hotseat

Let's take a look at who will be in charge of each F1 team in 2026

Ewan Gale

Sunday 5 April 2026 15:30

Here are the team principals in charge at the 11 F1 outfits in 2026, in the first full year without former Red Bull boss Christian Horner.

While drivers often steal the limelight, it is the team principals who play a crucial role behind the scenes. These sharp minds are the driving force behind their teams' success, making critical decisions and managing various aspects to ensure victory on the track.

Team principals also act as the public face of their teams, representing them in media engagements and meetings - such as those with the FIA governing body.

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But that's not all; they also play a crucial role in managing the team's personnel, and it is their job to create a cohesive and motivated team environment, foster teamwork, and extract the best performance from each individual.

Now that you have a general idea of what team principals do, get to know who's in charge of each team in 2026.

We have had some major changes already in 2026 - with Adrian Newey taking on the role at Aston Martin despite normally being a car designer, and Jonathan Wheatley stepping down from Audi after just two races.

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F1 Team Principals in 2026

These are the 11 men in charge of the teams in 2026, following the big change at Audi.

Red Bull Racing - Laurent Mekies

Horner had been the longest-serving team principal on the grid up to his shock departure/removal from the role in July 2025.

Once the huge headlines had died down, Red Bull wasted no time in promoting the 48-year-old Frenchman Mekies from his role at Racing Bulls to the 'big team'.

Mekies has so far had a positive impact on the team with Max Verstappen re-igniting his championship hopes with a terrific run of results since the summer break.

Ferrari - Fred Vasseur

The 57-year-old Frenchman Fred Vasseur is the founder of arguably the most successful junior category team in existence - ART Grand Prix - and is credited with turning around Sauber's fortunes to the point where Audi will join the team in 2026.

Yet the Frenchman was an intriguing acquisition by a Ferrari team desperate for success after a long barren run at Maranello.

Looking outside its own contingent of staff was a rare move by the Scuderia, but it appears the team has bought in to his skills despite questionable results so far.

Speculation linking Horner with the role in 2025 came despite a new contract for Vasseur and Ferrari chief John Elkann publicly backing the Frenchman.

To say 2026 is crucial for Vasseur would be a major understatement. Much is expected (again) at Maranello.

Mercedes - Toto Wolff

Horner's arch rival during that epic Abu Dhabi 2021 fallout, Toto Wolff has been at the helm since 2013 and, in that time, has overseen the most successful period for a team in F1 history.

Eight constructors' titles in a row, accompanied by seven drivers' championships up to 2021, came to an end the following season under F1's new technical regulations, but the Austrian is far from shying away from the fight.

Charismatic but strong when needed, the 54-year-old Austrian has cemented his status as a great of the team principal world.

It is also worth noting that Wolff owns around 28% of the Mercedes team (which is valued at £4.6billion. That despite selling 15% of his shares for a whopping £230million in late 2025.

Alpine - Flavio Briatore

The charismatic 75-year-old Italian Flavio Briatore took the helm early in the 2025 season upon the departure of Oliver Oakes in May.

Briatore added the role of de facto team principal to his existing title of Executive Advisor, bringing a wealth of F1 experience to the role.

A long career in the sport - either side of a life ban which was later overturned in court - has seen Briatore mastermind the capture of three Constructors' Championship titles and four Drivers' Championship wins.

The Enstone-based F1 team also welcomed new Managing Director Steve Nielsen to their leadership squad on September 1. The British engineer oversees the day-to-day running of Alpine whilst still reporting to Briatore.

McLaren - Andrea Stella

Stella led McLaren to Drivers' and Constructors' World Championship titles in 2025 - you cannot spell stellar without Stella...

The 54-year-old Italian has a wealth of experience in F1 - having served as a performance engineer for Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari before becoming race engineer to the Finn, as well as Fernando Alonso.

Stella became the team principal at McLaren in December 2022 and more success is expected for the team in papaya in 2026.

Audi - Mattia Binotto

Former Ferrari boss Binotto is now in charge at Audi, after Wheatley stepped away from his role for 'personal reasons'.

Wheatley was in charge of Sauber before the Audi takeover, but only lasted two grand prix weekends as the official Audi team principal.

He's widely expected to take over at Aston Martin once his period of gardening leave is over.

Binotto is temporarily taking over the duties at Audi, while they look for a permanent, full-time successor.

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Aston Martin - Adrian Newey

Perhaps the biggest surprise of 2026 when it comes to team principals is the installation of Adrian Newey in the top job at Aston Martin.

F1's most prominent design genius is well known for producing cars that make champions, but when Lawrence Stroll asked him to take the top job, it sent shockwaves around the sport.

Heading up design for the car AND running the team at the same time is quite the assignment for the 67-year-old Englishman, who has enjoyed success wherever he has been.

Andy Cowell, who previous had the team principal role before Newey, transitions to become Chief Strategy Officer.

Haas - Ayao Komatsu

In a shock move, Haas made a significant change in its leadership structure with the departure of long-time team principal Guenther Steiner and the appointment of Ayao Komatsu as his successor at the start of the 2024 season.

Komatsu has 20 years of F1 experience under his belt and has held different roles with different outfits, including Haas, where he spent seven years as Chief Race Engineer since the team's F1 debut in 2016.

With his extensive two-decade-long engineering background and deep understanding of the team's operations, the 49-year-old Tokyo native has the ideal credentials for the job.

Racing Bulls - Alan Permane

Alan Permane (right) - Racing Bulls team principal

The 58-year-old Englishman got the call to replace Mekies at Racing Bulls when the Frenchman was promoted to replace Horner at Red Bull in July 2025.

It was just reward for a man who has been a key part of the sport since joining Benetton as a test electronics engineer way back in 1989.

Spells at Renault, Lotus and Alpine followed, before Permane ascended to the Racing Bulls throne in the summer of 2025.

Williams - James Vowles

Vowles left his position as Mercedes' strategy director in January 2023, having taken the position vacated by Jost Capito at Williams after a disappointing start to life under F1's new regulations.

So far the signs are good that the 46-year-old from Sussex, England will be able to help return the once mighty team to former glories.

His calm demeanour and leadership skills helped Williams to fifth in the Constructors' standings in 2025 - absolutely heading in the right direction after a ninth-place finish in 2024.

Cadillac - Graeme Lowdon

The 60-year-old from Corbridge in the north east of England will lead US giant Cadillac into its very first season in F1 in 2026.

It's been a whirlwind year for the former Virgin and Marussia head honcho as he gets Cadillac ready to compete on the global stage, building the operation literally from the ground up.

The odds are very much against Cadillac battling for points in 2026, but Lowdon's experience and savvy will be an invaluable weapon.

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F1 Christian Horner Toto Wolff Adrian Newey Fred Vasseur James Vowles