Audi

Audi becoming Red Bull 2.0 after Max Verstappen ally’s promotion

Sheona Mountford Friday 9 January 2026 17:27

A key member of Max Verstappen's F1 championship winning side at Red Bull has received a promotion at Audi.

The German manufacturer's purchase of Sauber has seen Audi completely take over the Swiss team from the 2026 season onwards, and the new side is starting to look like Red Bull 2.0.

Former Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley was appointed Audi team principal, with another key figure from Milton-Keynes also following the Brit across.

Red Bull's former chief mechanic Lee Stevenson left the team after a decade of service, to take on the same role at Sauber in 2024.

A familiar face during Verstappen's title celebrations in recent years, Stevenson has now been promoted to the front lines of Audi's operations and will serve as their team manager.

When will Audi unveil 2026 F1 car?

On Friday, January 9, Audi became the first team to run their 2026 car during a Barcelona filming day, for a shakedown at the Circuit de-Barcelona Catalunya.

The car used for the shakedown was the first of the new set of regulations, which see a shift in aerodynamics and the power units, making for smaller and more sustainable F1 cars.

Each F1 team is allowed two filming days for promotional content, which means Audi will be allowed to cover up to 200km or 42 laps around the track in their R26.

Audi will host its official season launch in Berlin on January 20, before the first round of pre-season tests takes place in Barcelona from 26-30 January.

F1 HEADLINES: Horner return update issued as team boss speaks out

Red Bull Max Verstappen F1 Audi Jonathan Wheatley

Latest News

F1 Stories

How F1 star racked up crazy phone bill during new team search

Yesterday 22:43

F1 News & Gossip

Could this F1 champion’s son be a future Ferrari driver?

Yesterday 21:57

Red Bull Crisis

Sergio Perez: Being Max Verstappen's team-mate is 'the worst job in F1'

Yesterday 21:13

Christian Horner

Christian Horner F1 return has huge problem no one is talking about

Yesterday 20:28

F1 Social

Red Bull F1 icon issues statement after false social media post claimed he had passed away

Yesterday 19:43

Latest F1 News

Toto Wolff admits Mercedes F1 role is an 'ejection seat'

Yesterday 18:57

More news

GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.

We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.

With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.

Follow us on your favorite social media channel

Corporate & Media

Innovatieweg 20C
7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860