Who is Jonathan Wheatley? Everything you need to know about the former Audi F1 team principal

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Jonathan Wheatley is one of the most experienced figures in F1, having worked with teams including Red Bull and Audi since 1991, so here is everything you must know.

Wheatley began working in Formula 1 back in January 1991 as a mechanic at Benetton, and he worked his way up in Enstone to become the chief mechanic including after Renault took over the team. The Briton’s successful 15 years in Enstone later saw Red Bull swoop in 2005.

Red Bull GmbH made hiring Wheatley as the team manager of its Formula 1 entry after the Austrian energy drink giant took over Jaguar one of its first tasks. His time in Milton Keynes also saw Wheatley become Red Bull’s F1 sporting director before Audi came calling in 2024.

Audi saw the success that Wheatley helped Red Bull achieve alongside Christian Horner as a means to help reshape Sauber ahead of debuting in F1 in 2026. But Wheatley only stayed in Hinwil, Switzerland from April 2025 to March 2026 before he left Audi for personal reasons.

Jonathan Wheatley left Audi after just 10 months amid links with Aston Martin

Audi convinced Wheatley to leave Red Bull and guide the German brand’s debut in F1 under project lead Mattia Binotto, having played an instrumental role in Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen winning the drivers’ title four times each while he was working in Milton Keynes.

Wheatley was the second major name Audi sealed for Sauber in a matter of weeks ahead of turning the team into its factory Formula 1 entry in 2026, after also hiring Binotto. However, Wheatley only stayed at Audi until March 2026 before leaving amid links with Aston Martin.

The chance for Audi to tempt Wheatley away from Red Bull had been bubbling for a number of months. An internal fight for more power between Horner and Helmut Marko at Red Bull had convinced Wheatley to begin approaching rival Formula 1 teams for his next challenge.

Being a Formula 1 team principal was a long-held target for Wheatley, who was viewed as a potential replacement for Horner at Red Bull. He sat on their pit wall as Red Bull’s rules guy, with Wheatley a master of the Formula 1 rule book and how to work it in his team’s favour.

His time as Red Bull’s sporting director also saw Wheatley oversee the team’s pit crew and turn them into the best in the business. Red Bull became renowned for producing some of the fastest pit stops in Formula 1 with Wheatley watching on intently for every millisecond.

Audi luring Wheatley away from Red Bull was considered quite the coup for the brand. But Wheatley left Audi in March 2026 due to personal reasons, with suggestions that his wife had struggled to settle in Switzerland, but his exit also came amid links with Aston Martin.

Jonathan Wheatley worked Michael Masi to help Max Verstappen win the 2021 title

Wheatley working the F1 rulebook in Red Bull’s favour helped to create controversary at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when Verstappen ultimately won the first of his drivers’ world championship titles, as the Briton worked ex-FIA race director Michael Masi over the radio.

Verstappen was on course to lose the championship fight to Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton until Williams’ Nicolas Latifi crashed and caused a safety car. If Masi enforced F1’s rules as they were written, the race would have ended under the safety car with Hamilton the champion.

But while the marshals cleared the track, Wheatley begged Masi over Red Bull’s team radio to allow for one final racing lap, with Verstappen on fresh tyres and Hamilton a sitting duck. Masi listened to the plea and also let just the lapped cars between the two leaders through.

“Those lapped cars, you don’t need to let them go right the way around and catch up with the back of the pack,” Wheatley protested to Masi during the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP. “You only need to let them go, and then we’ve got a motor race on our hands.”

Wheatley did his job by working the situation in Red Bull and Verstappen’s favour as Masi’s agreement gave the Dutchman the one chance he needed to pass Hamilton and win the F1 title. But the controversial scenario left a bitter taste in the mouths of many Formula 1 fans.

So, with that in mind, F1 Oversteer looks into everything you need to know about Wheatley.

What is Jonathan Wheatley’s age? When was he born?

At the time of writing, Jonathan Wheatley is 58 years old and was born on May 7 in 1967.

Where was Jonathan Wheatley born? What is his nationality?

Jonathan Wheatley is British and was born in the English town of Beaconsfield.

Jonathan Wheatley’s net worth

Jonathan Wheatley has worked in the Formula 1 paddock for more than 30 years and held a senior position with Red Bull for 18 of those seasons. So, he has also built a tidy living with some online estimations claiming that Wheatley’s net worth is as much as $22.5m (£17m).

Jonathan Wheatley’s salary

Jonathan Wheatley’s CV in Formula 1 has allowed him to command a lucrative salary in his recent positions. Former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner even claimed prior to his compatriot’s move to Audi that Red Bull could pay several engineers with Wheatley’s wage.

“I know that Jonathan wants to leave,” Horner told Blick at the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix. “Why not? He is an expensive man, and I can employ a few engineers for his salary.”

Jonathan Wheatley’s career in Formula 1

Below, F1 Oversteer lists the Formula 1 teams Jonathan Wheatley has worked for and when.

• Audi, team principal: January 2026 – March 2026
• Sauber, team principal: April 2025 – December 2025
• Red Bull, sporting director: January 2018 – December 2024
• Red Bull, team manager: February 2006 – December 2017
• Renault, chief mechanic: January 2002 – February 2006
• Benetton, chief mechanic: May 1998 – December 2001
• Benetton, mechanic: January 1991 – April 1998

Formula 1 drivers’ and teams’ championships that Jonathan Wheatley has won

Thanks to his time working with Benetton during the Michael Schumacher era, with Renault whilst Fernando Alonso raced with the team and Red Bull through Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, several F1 drivers’ and teams’ championships sit by Jonathan Wheatley’s name.