Scott Mitchell-Malm
19 Mar 2026 — 3 min read
Aston Martin wants to hire a new Formula 1 team principal so Adrian Newey can focus solely on technical matters, and has targeted Audi’s Jonathan Wheatley.
Newey joined Aston Martin as its managing technical partner early last year. He is a team shareholder and effectively the most senior figure within the organisation after team chairman Lawrence Stroll.
In late 2025, Newey assumed the team principal role following a rejig that moved former CEO and team boss Andy Cowell aside. This was itself a consequence of Newey’s clear authority in the organisation, one that Cowell had envisaged leading.
However, Newey made it quite clear he was assuming the position effectively to fill a gap, and never seemed particularly enthusiastic about making it his own.
Newey conducted media responsibilities in the role in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, for example, but worked China remotely as it was not one of the races he intended to work trackside.
In his place, chief trackside officer Mike Krack - another former team principal under Stroll’s overall leadership - is the most senior team figure and its public-facing representative.
Newey’s primary focus is design work rather than leading the organisation and Aston Martin is currently trying to navigate an extremely troubled start to life with its new works engine partner Honda.
The first Newey Aston Martin chassis has its own issues but has been primarily undermined by an underpowered and unreliable Honda engine. Neither of Aston Martin's cars has finished either of the first two grands prix.
With Cowell being tasked with pulling Honda and other technical partners Aramco and Valvoline together in his slightly nebulous role of chief strategy officer, Newey’s priority is overseeing an aggressive development plan to deliver on his claim that the AMR26 is capable of becoming one of F1’s best chassis this year.
There have been some suggestions that Stroll has begun to doubt Newey’s appointment and though it has been claimed that Newey will step down as Aston Martin team principal, the situation is not as dramatic as that may suggest.
It is understood that Newey remains the lynchpin of Stroll’s project and an Aston Martin team spokesperson told The Race that Newey “continues to lead the team as team principal and managing technical partner”.
"The team will not be engaging in media speculation about its senior leadership team,” they added.
However, it is true that a gap in race team leadership is a clear weakness in Aston Martin’s hierarchy.
It has lacked stability in team management for several years now and undergone various degrees of restructuring too under Cowell, as CEO, and then Newey, as managing technical partner, in an increasingly top-heavy structure.
Aston Martin lacks a consistent link between the management/technical leadership axis and the race team who is experienced, respected and happy to engage in media and promotional duties. It does not need a project leader, it needs a race team/trackside boss.
Wheatley, who joined Audi last year ahead of its rebranding as the German manufacturer’s works team, is an ideal candidate for that kind of position given that is effectively the role he performs already.
He moved to Audi to work under project head Mattia Binotto, having previously been one of Red Bull Racing’s most senior and experienced trackside leaders.
It has been reported that Wheatley is attracted by the prospect of returning to the UK, having only moved to Switzerland last year - successfully relocating staff to its Hinwil headquarters is an issue the Sauber company that runs Audi’s F1 team has long battled.
What is unclear is for how long Wheatley’s contract with Audi would preclude him from moving to a rival team. A lengthy period of gardening leave would be expected, meaning it is possible that Newey continues as acting team principal for the remainder of 2026, aided by Krack in a trackside leadership and media-facing role.
An Audi spokesperson told The Race: "We are aware of the recent media reports. There is no official update from our side at this point in time and we do not comment on speculation."
