F1 boss in 'least successful career' admission ahead of 2026 season

Jonathan Wheatley and Christian Horner in 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

F1 boss in 'least successful career' admission ahead of 2026 season

Jonathan Wheatley is the Audi team principal

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 14 January 2026 15:56

F1 boss Jonathan Wheatley has revealed that he has taken 34 years to get to the role of team principal, hinting at some imposter syndrome in the paddock.

Wheatley previously spent 12 years as Red Bull team manager between 2006-2018, before becoming the sporting director of the outfit in 2018, winning multiple world championships before his exit in 2024.

The Brit quit his role at Red Bull and instead joined Sauber as team principal, a Sauber team who have now become Audi heading into 2026.

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Wheatley has kept his role amid the takeover, as have many key members of the previous Hinwil-based outfit. But the pressure is likely going to be higher for Wheatley from 2026 than when he was holding the fort at the back end of 2024 and 2025.

Audi are joining as a team and as a power unit manufacturer, and hope to be challenging for championships as soon as the early 2030s.

Now, Wheatley has admitted at having to pinch himself at times due to the fact that he is holding the same role that legends such as Ron Dennis and Flavio Briatore have held at different teams in the past.

Asked whether his career goal all along was to become a team principal, Wheatley told Motorsport Week: "This would be the least successful career in the world if I had, because it's taken me 34 years to get here.

"No, back then, team principals were Ron Dennis, Flavio Briatore, Luca di Montezemolo," Wheatley recalled, although Di Montezemolo was chairman of Ferrari rather than a team principal.

"I mean, just to even think for a second that you could be a team principal was completely unattainable, because I generally have been happy working in a team environment."

What are Audi's expectations in 2026?

Audi have kept the same driver lineup that Sauber had in 2025 with Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto taking up the two seats at the team.

While there are seemingly no specific goals for their first season in the sport, Audi will hope to see progress compared to last year when the team were called Sauber, as they target to eventually be world champions.

They are joining as a power unit supplier too, which may mean that they experience a few teething issues to begin with, as they try to master the new regulations as a new entrant.

But 11 days of testing ahead of the 2026 season should hopefully help them to iron out any issues, and they will look to provide reliable machinery for their two drivers in 2026.

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