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While Jonathan Wheatley ended up departing Audi just days before the Chinese Grand Prix, Audi officials knew he had to go days in advance.
Wheatley left Audi amid rumours of a move to Aston Martin to take over as team principal and replace Adrian Newey, his former Red Bull colleague.
Recent reports have suggested that Wheatley wasn’t approved of by Mattia Binotto, the COO and CTO of Audi, who joined then-Kick Sauber a few months before his arrival.
Audi confirm Jonathan Wheatley’s exit – Who should take over as their team principal?
Wheatley and Binotto reportedly clashed several times behind the scenes at Audi, as both of them disagreed on several key decisions.
However, it appears there was one final conflict between Jonathan Wheatley and Mattia Binotto that led to Audi officials realising the pair couldn’t work together.
READ MORE: Gabriel Bortoleto just shared exactly why Aston Martin want his former Audi boss Jonathan Wheatley
Audi officials knew Jonathan Wheatley and Mattia Binotto partnership had failed during Australian GP
According to Autosport Japan, there was a significant disagreement between Jonathan Wheatley and Mattia Binotto at the Australian Grand Prix.
It was this final clash between the two that helped Audi officials realise that the pair couldn’t co-exist. However, with Audi CEO Gernot Dollner in attendance at Albert Park, the team had to keep up appearances, opting to move on from Wheatley just a few days later.
“Audi officials said it was on Saturday in Melbourne that Wheatley and Binotto’s relationship took a crucial turn for the worse, at which point it became clear they would not be able to work together.
“However, with company CEO Gernot Dollner heading to Australia to inspect Audi’s first Grand Prix, announcing Wheatley’s departure at that time could cast a shadow over the event. This meant that Wheatley would remain in his position for some time.”
In Wheatley’s absence, Binotto said a new team boss would be appointed soon. However, the new arrival isn’t expected to have any of the powers Wheatley had as team principal.
READ MORE: Ralf Schumacher can’t believe Mattia Binotto was ‘surprised’ Jonathan Wheatley wanted to leave Audi
Can Mattia Binotto add another podium to his tally in 2026 now that he is at the helm of Audi?
Let us know in the comments below!
Mattia Binotto refuses to grant additional powers to expected deputy team principal
In the same report, it was revealed that Audi’s sporting director, Inaki Rueda, will be promoted to deputy team principal, but he won’t be given any new power with this promotion.
“It is expected that Sporting Director Inaki Rueda, a longtime collaborator of Binotto, will be promoted to Deputy Team Principal. However, it is said that he will not be granted any new authority in addition to his current position.
“Binotto has not considered hiring someone from another team, and it is clear that he is looking for someone who will faithfully carry out his instructions in his absence, rather than someone who seeks autonomy.
It looks as though Binotto is trying to run a tight ship at Audi, one where he is the one true captain and is beyond reproach from other officials.
It’s been speculated that Wheatley left Audi over political clashes with Binotto, with the latter using his eight-month head start over Wheatley to gain more power within the organisation.
This must be a cause for concern within Audi, as Binotto’s actions seem to suggest he wants to have total authority in the team’s decisions.
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