Audi F1 confirm reshuffle after shock team principal exit

McNish and Binotto at Audi — Photo: © IMAGO

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Audi F1 confirm reshuffle after shock team principal exit

Audi F1 team suffered a shock team principal exit earlier this year

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 22 July 2026 08:15

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A key member of the Audi F1 team has unpicked exactly what his role is following a management reshuffle which was brought about by the shock departure of their team principal.

Jonathan Wheatley provided the first bombshell announcement of the season after just two race weekends when it was confirmed the Audi F1 boss would be leaving the team with immediate effect.

The former Red Bull Sporting Director was placed in charge of the squad formerly known as Sauber for 2025, stating just weeks prior to his exit in March that he was committed to the project on a long-term basis.

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A statement from the team at the time read: "Due to personal reasons, Jonathan Wheatley will depart the team with immediate effect...Mattia Binotto, Head of Audi F1 Project, will continue leading the team while taking over additional responsibilities as team principal."

A month later, the team announced another reshuffle, revealing that Allan McNish, who once raced in F1 himself with Toyota, would be joining Audi's leadership team as well in the pole of Racing Director.

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Allan McNish explains Audi F1 role

At last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, McNish was asked to clarify his own areas of responsibility since joining the squad back in April.

Explaining his new position and how it is different from Binotto’s job as CEO and team principal of the recently rebranded squad, McNish said: "Yeah, Mattia is in charge of the whole programme, from the power unit side, chassis side, everything back at base, whereas my area is here at the circuit.

"So, I’m in charge of the racing responsibility, if you want to put it that way, from engineering, from strategy, ultimately in these areas, but also in the activation, from marketing and communications, and pretty much everything in between.

"So, it’s quite a wide role, but also very much in line with the people already involved in the programme and back at base in Hinwil and Neuburg, and also in Bicester."

F1 Audi Jonathan Wheatley