From Red Bull to Audi: Wheatley says Miami moment triggered exit

Jonathan Wheatley, the former long-serving sporting director of Red Bull Red Racing, has opened up about the key moment that led to his decision to walk away from the Milton Keynes-based team after nearly two decades – and switch his allegiance to Audi-Sauber’s promising F1 project.

Wheatley’s exit, announced in early August 2024, was Red Bull’s second prominent departure after that of design legend Adrian Newey.

Now leading Sauber into its transformation as Audi’s works F1 outfit in 2026, Wheatley revealed in an interview with Dutch websiteRacingNews365 the precise trigger for his career shift.

“Suddenly my name was in all the papers”

“I’ll be honest with you, there was an article that came out in Miami last year. I wasn’t happy,” Wheatley explained.

At the time, Wheatley had deliberately kept a low media profile. But sudden exposure in the headlines, he said, disrupted his working environment.

“I had a very, very low media profile at the time, on purpose and then suddenly my name was in all the papers, which created a difficult situation at work,” he continued.

“But what it did do, there were then a lot of approaches and you start thinking about it [leaving] then, because people are obviously very interested in where you could be.”

Though the speculation opened new doors, Wheatley remained loyal to his contract and to Red Bull at the time.

“I guess also my mindset there was, I’d signed a lock-in contract and I would honour that from start to finish,” he said.

“I’m not the sort of person who signs a contract and then tries to wheedle my way out of it because there’s a slightly different offer. When I commit to a team, I commit to it.

“Sixteen years at Benetton/Renault, 19 years at Red Bull and I have no intention of leaving here [Sauber/Audi] either, so that opened up a lot of conversations with many teams.”

Audi’s Vision Sealed the Deal

Wheatley officially took the reins at Sauber earlier this year on April 1, and since then the Briton has led the team through the early stages of its evolution into Audi’s works F1 outfit, culminating recently in Nico Hülkenberg's maiden podium finish at Silverstone.

While the 58-year-old admitted to speaking with several teams during his period of reflection, he said none matched what Audi was offering.

“I didn’t need to leave the UK to further my career, but none of them came close to how exciting the Audi project is,” Wheatley said.

“I still get excited about it now. It’s still a pinch-yourself-moment when you realise that next year there’s going to be a complete transformation. You won’t recognise how different it looks.”

“And to be part of that journey again, like I was in my previous one from the very beginning, I can’t tell you how exciting it is. Nothing could have come close.”

Heading into the Audi Era

Wheatley is now overseeing major infrastructure upgrades at the team’s Hinwil headquarters while Audi also builds a new Technology Centre at Bicester Motion in the UK.

Read also:

• Wheatley: Sauber eyes more gains, with no impact on 2026 plans

Once the transformation is complete, the team will operate across three locations—Hinwil, Bicester, and Audi’s powertrain facility in Neuburg, Germany.

With an eye firmly on 2026, Wheatley is once again at the heart of a factory team’s rebirth – just as he was during Red Bull’s rise in 2005. And this time, he says, he’s also in it for the long haul.

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