Audi confirm Allan McNish as new racing director after Jonathan Wheatley’s departure

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Allan McNish has been appointed as Audi’s new Racing Director, the team has confirmed, in a move that marks a significant step in the development of its Formula 1 project.

The 56-year-old, who has been involved with Audi’s F1 programme since its inception, will take responsibility for coordinating all trackside operations. His role will cover a wide range of areas, including sporting matters, engineering coordination, driver management, race strategy and garage operations, as well as on-track media and partner activities.

McNish is set to assume trackside duties from the Miami Grand Prix onwards as Audi continues to build towards its long-term ambitions in Formula 1.

It comes after a change of leadership just three races into the 2026 season. Jonathan Wheatley has left Audi after just 10 months as team principal.

Audi confirm Jonathan Wheatley’s exit – Who should take over as their team principal?

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The Brit is believed to be joining Aston Martin, but needs to complete a period of gardening leave. Mattia Binotto has assumed the role of team principal, having held the position at Ferrari between 2019 and 2022.

Binotto clashed with Wheatley numerous times behind the scenes, with this feud and personal reasons being factors in the latter’s sudden exit. Given Binotto’s responsibilities as Head of Audi’s F1 project as well as team principal, another key figure was needed at the top.

Allan McNish confirmed as Audi’s racing director

Audi confirmed the appointment of McNish ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, revealing that he will step into the new role at the American race.

Mattia Binotto, CEO and Team Principal of the Audi Revolut F1 Team said: “Allan brings an exceptional combination of racing experience, technical understanding and leadership to this role. He has been a central part of the motorsport structure of Audi for many years and, in his roles within Audi Revolut F1 Team since its start, has played a key role in shaping our preparation for Formula One, not least with his work around technical partnerships.

“This appointment strengthens our trackside leadership at a crucial stage of our project. Allan’s ability to connect all performance-related areas – from sporting operations to driver development – will be fundamental as we continue to build our team.”

Will Buxton felt McNish would be the ‘perfect’ replacement for Wheatley at Audi, and the team have done just that with the announcement of his position as race director.

The Dumfries-born driver has a rich history with the manufacturer as a driver and team leader. McNish, who raced for Toyota in F1 in 2002, won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Audi in 2008 and 2013, having previously won it with Porsche in 1998.

He also won the 12 Hours of Sebring four times with the German team in 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2012. After that, he moved on to helping Audi’s Formula E team, serving as their team principal from 2017 to 2022.

Brazil’s Lucas Di Grassis won the Formula E title with Audi in 2016/17, before the team won the teams’ championship the following season under McNish’s leadership.

Before taking on his new role with the F1 team, the 56-year-old had been moulding Audi’s driver development programme. In early 2026, McNish signed 17-year-old Freddie Slater as the team’s first signing to the programme.