Audi F1 announce major restructure after Jonathan Wheatley exit

Audi

Audi F1 announce major restructure after Jonathan Wheatley exit

Audi are restructuring their management after the exit of Jonathan Wheatley

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Friday 24 April 2026 16:55

Audi F1 have announced a management shake-up following the exit of team principal Jonathan Wheatley.

The 58-year-old announced his exit from the German team in March, citing 'personal reasons' amid speculation Wheatley could be Aston Martin bound.

Head of the Audi F1 project Mattia Binotto has taken on the additional responsibilities of a team principal in the interim as they look for a replacement for Wheatley.

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Now, however, Audi have announced that Allan McNish will become their racing director while Binotto will take on the new role of CEO and team principal.

McNish will take responsibility for coordinating Audi's trackside operations and his role will also include oversight of sporting matters, engineering coordination, driver management, race strategy and garage operations, as well as on-track media and partner activities.

McNish and Binotto will assume their new roles from the Miami Grand Prix onwards, with the Scot reporting directly to Binotto.

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Who is Audi's Allan McNish?

McNish raced in F1 during the 2002 with Toyota, but has been affiliated with the Audi brand in sportscar racing since 2000. The Scot has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice with Audi and secured the World Endurance Championship in 2013.

The 56-year-old was team principal of the Audi Formula E project, before switching to become the director of the Audi driver development programme.

On his appointment, McNish said: "It is a privilege to take on the role of racing director for Audi. This is a marque that means a lot to me and it is an honour to be able to represent Audi and our partners on the most prestigious stage in motorsports. 

"This is an exciting challenge at a pivotal moment in the history of Audi and Formula 1, and I am looking forward to contributing even more directly to our trackside performance.

"The project we are building is ambitious, and my focus will be on ensuring that all aspects of our race operations are delivering at their most competitive level and continuously improving. 

"Together with our driver development programme, to which I remain fully committed, my focus will be on implementing the building blocks for our success, under the direction of Mattia and the Board of Directors."

Binotto also added: "Allan brings an exceptional combination of racing experience, technical understanding and leadership to this role. He has been a central part of the motorsport structure of Audi for many years and, in his roles within Audi team since its start, has played a key role in shaping our preparation for Formula 1, not least with his work around technical partnerships.

"This appointment strengthens our trackside leadership at a crucial stage of our project. Allan’s ability to connect all performance-related areas – from sporting operations to driver development – will be fundamental as we continue to build our team.”

F1 Audi Jonathan Wheatley