Aston Martin F1 issue official statement moments after Jonathan Wheatley Audi exit

Adrian Newey, Aston Martin, Bahrain, 2026 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Aston Martin F1 issue official statement moments after Jonathan Wheatley Audi exit

Aston Martin have finally broken their silence over Adrian Newey rumours

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 20 March 2026 16:42 Updated: 16:56

Aston Martin F1 team have released an official statement regarding Adrian Newey's place at the squad after news broke that Jonathan Wheatley would be leaving Audi with immediate effect.

Just two races into Audi's F1 tenure, Wheatley has been confirmed to be leaving the team due to 'personal reasons', despite heading up the German giant's takeover of the outfit previously known as Sauber.

Confirmation of his exit comes following reports on Thursday, March 19 that Newey was set to step down from the role of team principal to focus on his technical responsibilities at Aston Martin, with Wheatley lined up to replace him.

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The decision to make Newey juggle the team principal role with the managing technical partner position he had initially been hired to do was certainly an odd one, but Aston Martin's 2026 struggles seem to have exacerbated the need for the Brit to solely focus on the technical side of their F1 project.

A disastrous start to Aston Martin's new works partnership with Honda has meant they are the only team who have failed to complete a single full-length grand prix.

What's more is that next weekend's Japanese GP marks the home race for the power unit providers, with a crisis meeting of sorts expected between Honda and the Aston Martin F1 team.

F1 HEADLINES: Adrian Newey to step down at Aston Martin as legend 'chooses' his own replacement

Lawrence Stroll personally provides update over Aston Martin leadership rumours

As reports of Aston Martin's leadership reshuffle continue to swirl, F1 team owner Lawrence Stroll moved to personally respond to the rumour mill, immediately after Wheatley's Audi exit was confirmed on Friday afternoon.

The statement from Stroll released just minutes after the official news from Audi read: "With the current speculation surrounding Adrian Newey’s role in our team, I want to take this opportunity to set the record straight.

"As Executive Chairman and Controlling Shareholder, I would like to reaffirm that Adrian Newey is my partner and an important shareholder. He is AMR’s Managing Technical Partner, and he and I have a true partnership built on a shared vision of success for the company.

"We do things differently here, and while we don't currently adopt the traditional Team Principal role that you see elsewhere - it is by design.

"As the most successful engineer in the history of the sport, Adrian's primary focus is on the strategic and technical leadership where he excels. He is supported by a highly skilled Senior Leadership Team to deliver on all aspects of the business, both at the Campus and trackside.

“We are regularly approached by senior executives of other teams who wish to join Aston Martin Aramco, but in keeping with our policy, we do not comment on rumour and speculation.”

F1 Aston Martin Adrian Newey Audi Jonathan Wheatley