- Aston Martin may remove Newey as team principal, refocusing him on technical work.
- Jonathan Wheatley looks set to join from Audi F1, pending contractual release details.
- The switch would formalise a clearer split between design focus and race operations.
Rumours are still abound that Adrian Newey will step down as team principal, despite Aston Martin issuing a denial. The suggestion was that he will now focus on technical duties, with Jonathan Wheatley set to leave Audi and replace him once contractual timing allows.
The rumoured change would end a team principal’s tenure that lasted less than four months.
Newey took over the role in November 2025 after Andy Cowell was moved into a position focused on the team’s technical partnerships with Honda and Aramco.
Wheatley, who joined Audi in May 2025 after 19 years at Red Bull, departs the German manufacturer’s factory project after roughly 10 months.
The reasoning behind the reversal had been building for some time. PlanetF1 reported that Aston Martin had been exploring replacements since late 2025, with Newey himself leading the search.
Why Newey may step aside
Newey’s own comments from November made clear that the team principal role was never his preferred destination. Speaking to RacingNews365, he said the arrangement grew out of Cowell’s shift toward power-unit integration work.
“That left a kind of, ‘OK, who’s going to be team principal?'” Newey said.
“And since I’m going to be doing all the early races anyway, it doesn’t actually particularly change my workload, because I’m there anyway, so I may as well pick up that bit.”
He was also direct about where his priorities lay.
“That’s really what I want to and need to do. That’s what gets me out of bed in the morning. So I’m determined not to dilute that.”
Newey saw the role as a stopgap, and Aston Martin appears to have agreed.
What Wheatley would bring
Wheatley spent nearly two decades at Red Bull, rising from chief mechanic to sporting director across a period that included six constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ championships. He left for Audi in 2025 to lead the team’s entry as a full factory operation in 2026.
At Audi’s Berlin launch in January, Wheatley told Formula1.com that the start of the project was “an extraordinary feeling,” describing his focus on operational readiness and helping the organisation gel ahead of its debut season.
That operational profile is what Aston Martin wanted. Wheatley’s background is in race-weekend execution, logistics and team management, the areas Newey had little interest in absorbing long-term.
Consequences for Audi
Wheatley’s exit would create a hole at Audi on the eve of its first season as a works F1 team. The German manufacturer built its 2026 preparations around Wheatley as team principal, and replacing him at this stage of the project will be a test of the organisation’s depth.
For Aston Martin, the reshuffle is designed to put each executive where their strengths are highest. Newey on the AMR26 and longer-term technical development, Cowell on the Honda and Aramco relationship, and Wheatley on the day-to-day running of the team.
When (or if) Wheatley starts will depend on his contractual obligations with Audi.
