Next year, Audi’s factory team will finally make its debut in Formula 1. The current Sauber will be taken over by the German automotive giant in 2026. Sauber, currently operating under the name Stake F1 Team, reflects on a challenging season in 2024 and seems to be ending this year primarily as the last runner. New team boss Jonathan Wheatley explains that Audi, with a ‘modest’ approach, wants to focus mainly on the opportunities that lie ahead.
Audi officially debuts in Formula 1 with the introduction of new regulations. The team has chosen to develop its own powertrain. This gives it – like Mercedes and Ferrari, for example – the status of a factory team. After leaving as sporting director of Red Bull, Jonathan Wheatley has been given a leading role within the project. The current Sauber team boss is working closely with former Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto to guide the transition smoothly.
“Everything is possible,” Wheatley said in the Beyond The Grid podcast. The 58-year-old Brit realizes that a big challenge awaits him, especially now that the results at Sauber can certainly be called disappointing. “I like the way Mattia (Binotto, ed.) phrases things,” he continued. “Where people often speak of challenges, he prefers to describe them as opportunities. And I suspect that between 2026 and 2029 there will be many more opportunities to prove ourselves. It’s a long journey after all.”
Smooth Collaboration
“Our approach is modest,” he added. “We have immense respect for the competitors we are up against, and we are doing everything we can to start at the right level.” The Audi project is not the first collaboration between Jonathan Wheatley and Mattia Binotto; Red Bull and Ferrari had a technical partnership nearly twenty years ago. “Mattia and I have known each other for a long time,” Wheatley explained. “Some people might remember that Red Bull used Ferrari engines in 2006. I got along very well with him even then.”
At Sauber – and later Audi – Wheatley serves as team boss, while Binotto is active as commercial director and technical responsible. “Our collaboration is very smooth,” Wheatley emphasized. “I just don’t think we’re hugely interested in each other’s fields,” he joked. “Mattia’s job is important; he is responsible for bringing together the chassis and the drivetrain to create the ultimate Audi car. My job is to lead the team on the track once the car leaves the factory. My role is more commercial and communicative, with a focus on racing activities.”
