Audi leadership thrown into doubt after "shock" Jonathan Wheatley exit: "They're lacking"

Lawrence Barretto has described Jonathan Wheatley’s abrupt exit from Audi as a shock decision that leaves Mattia Binotto overseeing the team’s day-to-day running

Jonathan Wheatley's exit from his role as Audi Formula 1 team principal has been branded a "shock decision" by F1 TV presenter Lawrence Barretto.

Audi confirmed last week that Wheatley was to leave the team with immediate effect due to personal reasons. The Briton had only joined the team in 2025 and was part of the transition from Sauber to Audi.

"As it continues its journey towards the front of the grid, Audi Revolut F1 Team will implement significant changes to its senior management structure," the team stated.

"Due to personal reasons, Jonathan Wheatley will depart the team with immediate effect. The team thanks Jonathan for his contribution to the project and wishes him the best for his future endeavours."

While Wheatley has been linked to the team principal role at Aston Martin, that move has not been confirmed.

"It was a shock decision really," Barretto said during the F1 TV Weekend Warm-Up show.

"Jonathan came into the team just under a year ago. Came in as team principal, the day-to-day running was under his guise, and then we had Mattia Binotto, head of the F1 project, and they had this dual partnership, this dual management system.

Mattia Binotto, Audi F1 Team

Photo by: Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto via Getty Images

"They had offices on either side of an open door. They discussed everything from day to day and then it's now moved to a point where Mattia Binotto takes on those duties because Jonathan's had to step aside for personal reasons.

"And it just means in the interim he'll have to look after the day-to-day running of the team while they work out the wider plan for that structure going forward, because at the moment there's a loss, they're lacking there. They need that day-to-day running of the team."

Audi currently sits eighth in the constructors' standings with two points, earned by Gabriel Bortoleto with a ninth-place finish at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.