Major change at Aston Martin as Adrian Newey leads talks to pinch Audi team principal
Jonathan Wheatley is reportedly in advanced talks to join the Silverstone-based Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, leaving behind the exciting new project at Bicester outfit Audi.
Legendary F1 designer Adrian Newey took the mantle of Aston Martin team principal for the opening two races of the season in Australia and China, but the 67-year-old is stepping away from those responsibilities.
Newey, who joined Aston Martin last March after an era of dominance at Red Bull, is much better suited to car development behind the scenes, it would seem.
Widespread reports suggest the plan was never for Newey to be the permanent team principal, with the former Williams, McLaren and Red Bull man instead taking on the role in the interim.
With that in mind, Sky Sports F1 reports Newey has been leading talks to bring in Wheatley as Aston Martin’s new team principal in a move which could send shockwaves up and down the paddock.
It’s highly improbable it would be an immediate hire, as Audi are likely to hold Wheatley to a period of gardening leave, while it will take time to reach a full agreement.
But, as it stands, Wheatley is on course to become Aston Martin’s new team principal. Max Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase was also approached for the role, but he opted to remain at Red Bull.
In a statement to Sky Sports, Aston Martin said: “The team will not be engaging in media speculation about its senior leadership team. Adrian Newey continues to lead the team principal and managing technical partner.”
Audi added in a statement: “We are aware of the recent media reports. There is no official update from our side at this point in time and we do not comment on speculation.”
If the appointment of Wheatley does go ahead, Aston Martin will be hoping it can inspire a redemption for the remainder of the campaign.
The team have made a disastrous start to the new season due to well-documented reliability issues, not least severe vibrations putting drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll at risk of permanent nerve damage.
Aston Martin only had one classifed finisher in the first two races, with Stroll completing more than three-quarters of the race distance before retiring the car in Melbourne.
It was a better story in the Chinese Sprint as both drivers finished the shorter-format race, however Alonso and Stroll crossed the line in P17 and P18 respectively, over 10 seconds off the points.
Wheatley’s appointment would free up Newey to spend more time at the new world-class facility in Silverstone. That will only help matters, you would have thought, as he can directly oversee upgrades being prepared for future races.