Aston Martin target Audi’s Wheatley to allow Newey car focus

Aston Martin have opened talks with Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley about taking the operational reins of the Silverstone-based Formula 1 outfit, a move designed to free Adrian Newey from day-to-day management duties and allow the celebrated designer to concentrate on resurrecting the team’s faltering 2026 car project.

Sky Sports News understands that initial contact has been made with Wheatley, who has overseen Audi’s factory entry preparations since the German manufacturer’s takeover of the Sauber organisation. While no formal offer has been tabled, those close to the discussions say Newey—appointed team principal only this January—would welcome the arrival of a seasoned sporting boss so he can revert to the pure technical brief for which he was originally recruited 12 months ago.

Under the mooted structure, Newey would retain his title of Managing Technical Partner and report directly to owner Lawrence Stroll, maintaining ultimate authority over all engineering decisions. The 67-year-old’s elevation to interim team principal was always viewed inside the camp as a short-term necessity rather than a long-term solution.

The approach to Wheatley ends Aston Martin’s fleeting interest in Red Bull race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, who elected to stay with the world champions, and definitively rules out any prospect of Christian Horner moving to the team. Former McLaren CEO Andreas Seidl is also no longer under consideration.

Any transfer is complicated by the likelihood that Audi would place Wheatley on extended gardening leave, meaning an appointment before next weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix is improbable and the recruitment process could stretch well into the European leg of the season.

Aston Martin declined to comment on what it termed “media speculation”, telling Sky Sports News: “Adrian Newey continues to lead the team as Team Principal and Managing Technical Partner.” Audi issued an almost identical statement, saying there was “no official update”.

The managerial manoeuvring comes against the backdrop of a disastrous start to the campaign. Pre-season testing in Bahrain saw the AMR26 complete the fewest laps of any entrant after a delayed shakedown in Barcelona, while a persistent vibration issue with the new Honda power unit has forced the Japanese supplier to derate the engine and raised safety fears for Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. Both drivers retired in Australia and China, with Alonso warning that cockpit tremors were causing him to lose feeling in his hands.

Newey admitted the scale of Honda’s 2026 inexperience only became clear during a November visit to Tokyo, when Stroll, Newey and incoming CEO Andy Cowell learned that much of the championship-winning staff that supported Max Verstappen’s 2021 title had not returned to the project.

Attention now turns to Suzuka, Honda’s home race, where the beleaguered partnership will face intense scrutiny. It remains uncertain whether Newey will travel to Japan or remain at the Silverstone design office to fast-track urgent upgrades.

Japanese Grand Prix coverage from Suzuka runs 27-29 March live on Sky Sports F1.