Audi no longer two-headed
During the past week, Audi acknowledged Jonathan Wheatley’s willingness to leave his position as team principal for “personal reasons” and entrusted the role to Mattia Binotto, already heading the German manufacturer’s Formula 1 project. In the following days, however, reports emerged of clashes and tensions between Wheatley and Binotto that had continued since 2025 to define their respective areas of action, so much so that Gernot Dollner – Audi’s CEO – had understood that the two-headed solution would not have a long life.
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Binotto denies tensions
Interviewed on Friday at Suzuka by Sky Deutschland, Mattia Binotto recounted what happened, effectively denying the reports: “It was a total surprise, sometimes things go that way. Last Friday Jonathan told us he couldn’t commit to Audi long-term for personal reasons. We can’t judge him but only respect him. Consequently we decided to relieve him of his duties, but Jonathan was very well integrated into the team and had significant influence“.
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Mattia Binotto then clarified that Audi is not looking for a new team principal: “We are not looking for a new team principal. We need to develop the team and the car and I need to focus completely on my work. We are evaluating how to reorganize ourselves. April free from races will help us, we have many ideas about it”.
The explanation for Wheatley’s departure did not convince former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher: “I don’t entirely believe Binotto when he says he didn’t know that Jonathan wasn’t happy and that he was leaving. Binotto wants to make the decisions alone and that was the problem they had. Obviously the previous approach wasn’t sustainable, too many cooks spoil the broth. The gears must fit together smoothly without hitches and friction”.
