Jonathan Wheatley has already stated how he can sign Max Verstappen for Aston Martin

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Jonathan Wheatley is being lined up to replace Adrian Newey as the team principal of Aston Martin, which could also help the F1 team sign Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.

Rumours began to run wild towards the end of this week that Aston Martin are interested in hiring Wheatley, with Newey expected to relinquish his team principal role to focus on fixing the AMR26. Audi even reacted quickly on Friday and confirmed that Wheatley had resigned.

Wheatley only took charge as Audi’s team principal last April to help remould Sauber ahead of the German giant taking over the team from 2026. Yet Wheatley has now left Audi due to personal reasons, with it claimed that his wife had struggled to settle in Hinwil, Switzerland.

Audi could force Wheatley to spend the rest of 2026 on gardening leave, which could delay any switch to Aston Martin until next year. Also, while it has been suggested that Wheatley has already agreed to join Aston Martin, the Briton is not thought to have signed a deal yet.

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

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Jonathan Wheatley can help Aston Martin sign Max Verstappen through their friendship

Should Aston Martin hire Wheatley as their team principal, and potentially even strike a deal with Audi to reduce his gardening leave, the Silverstone crew could strengthen their chances of also convincing Verstappen to leave Red Bull, amid a frustrating start to the 2026 season.

READ MORE: Who is Jonathan Wheatley? All to know about the former Audi team principal

While Verstappen is under contract to Red Bull through 2028, he is likely to have the right to leave after the 2026 season. The 28-year-old only has to be third or lower in the F1 drivers’ standings at the summer 2026 break to then be able to activate a release clause in his deal.

Verstappen has long been linked with a move to Aston Martin, with team owner Lawrence Stroll driving the Silverstone natives’ pursuit. It was even reported one year ago that Aston Martin were ready to offer Verstappen a five-year, £1bn contract but he stayed at Red Bull.

Signing Wheatley might now help Stroll to realise his dream of seeing Verstappen drive for Aston Martin, however. Wheatley openly admitted he wanted Audi to sign Verstappen last November, as he also opened up on their relationship from when he worked with Red Bull.

“Yes, I want Max Verstappen to drive our car,” Wheatley told De Telegraaf. “What kind of team principal would I be if I didn’t want that?

“I’m in the fortunate position of having been friends with Max for a long time, but also with his father, Jos [Verstappen], and manager, Raymond [Vermeulen].

“And such a friendship develops because you’re always honest and you never betray the trust you’ve built. But I don’t think that’s enough right now to directly link Verstappen to a Formula 1 seat at Audi.”

Wheatley’s suggestion that his friendship with the Verstappens and Vermeulen alone would not have been enough for Audi to sign the four-time drivers’ champion means Aston Martin will need Newey to fix the AMR26 to show they can offer him a car he can eye a fifth title in.

But the relationship that Wheatley built with Verstappen at Red Bull, through a period that yielded four F1 drivers’ titles, could go a long way alongside Stroll’s money in helping Aston Martin sign him. With Fernando Alonso’s future also uncertain, it may prove even more key.