Ralf Schumacher can’t believe Mattia Binotto was ‘surprised’ Jonathan Wheatley wanted to leave Audi

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Jonathan Wheatley’s sudden exit from Audi came as a “complete surprise” to project lead Mattia Binotto. Yet Ralf Schumacher believes Binotto is why Wheatley quit Audi.

Audi announced last Friday that Wheatley had resigned from his role as team principal with immediate effect. The German outfit stated that his exit was due to “personal reasons”, just 10 months after he took over Sauber to help mould the team for Audi’s takeover and debut.

Reports have suggested that while Wheatley settled into his new life in Hinwil, Switzerland, his wife struggled with the move from England. But Audi announced Wheatley’s exit within hours of him being linked with Aston Martin, too, as they are seeking a new team principal.

Wheatley has emerged as the leading contender to take over as the team principal of Aston Martin from Adrian Newey, who only added the role to his duties as the managing technical partner for the 2026 F1 season. Newey is striving to return to focusing on Aston Martin’s car.

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

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Ralf Schumacher does not believe Mattia Binotto was ‘surprised’ that Jonathan Wheatley wanted to leave Audi

Audi project lead Binotto addressed Wheatley’s sudden exit on Friday while speaking to Sky Germany at Suzuka ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix. He claims Wheatley’s decision to quit came as a “complete surprise”, but one that Audi accepted given it was for personal reasons.

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

Binotto said: “This came as a complete surprise. Sometimes things just happen that way. Last Friday, Jonathan told us that he could not commit to Audi long-term for personal reasons. We can’t judge that, we have to respect it.

“As a consequence, we as a team decided to relieve him of his duties. Jonathan was very well integrated into the team and had a significant influence.”

Yet Schumacher cannot believe that Binotto was surprised by Wheatley wanting to leave, as he suspects working under the Italian was “the problem” that convinced him to quit. Binotto always had the final say as Audi’s project lead, which may have undermined Wheatley’s role.

Schumacher said: “I don’t quite believe Mattia Binotto when he says he didn’t know that Jonathan Wheatley wasn’t happy and was leaving.

“Binotto now wants to make all the decisions alone. And in my opinion, that was the problem before. That’s obviously not a sustainable approach, because too many cooks spoil the broth. The gears need to mesh smoothly without any friction.”

Schumacher may have a point that Binotto and Wheatley’s relationship also played a part in his decision to leave Audi, on top of the personal reasons and Aston Martin’s interest. It has been said that Wheatley frequently clashed with Binotto over the working dynamic at Audi.

Mattia Binotto confirms Audi are not looking for a new team principal to replace Jonathan Wheatley

Wheatley essentially only led Audi’s race team whilst their team principal, while Binotto had the final say on the brand’s engine and car development programmes as the project lead. In the wake of Wheatley’s exit, Binotto has assumed the role of team principal going forward.

READ MORE: Who is Audi F1 project lead Mattia Binotto? Everything you need to know

Can Mattia Binotto add another podium to his tally in 2026 now that he is at the helm of Audi?

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Audi will not immediately try to replace Wheatley with a new team principal. Binotto is keen to utilise the five-week break between this week’s Japanese GP and the Miami Grand Prix on May 1-3 to review and reorganise Audi’s hierarchy, before considering hiring a replacement.

Binotto told Sky Germany: “We’re not looking for a new team principal. I need to reorganise now, and analyse the team’s structures more closely. There is so much to do at the factory, someone needs to support me.

“We have to develop the team and the car, and I need to be fully focused on my job. We’re currently considering how to reorganise. We have April off, which is a good opportunity to reposition ourselves. We have many ideas for this.”