Red Bull’s quandary of how to replace Jonathan Wheatley has been identified.
Wheatley will leave his position as Red Bull’s sports director at the end of the season to become Audi’s team principal.
Audi insists he will return by July 2025 at the latest, following a period of gardening leave, while Red Bull has promised to look internally for a replacement.
On the Sky F1 podcast, Ted Kravitz stated, “Who will they get to replace him is the other question.” How will they divide it up with such a valuable player in terms of rules and maintaining a razor-sharp race team?
“I can think of a few men at Red Bull who started as mechanics and worked their way up to top positions. Wheatley used to be the chief mechanic at Benetton.
“I can see those individuals growing up; they understand the rules as well.
“Some have speculated that Gianpiero Lambiase might take on the role of sporting director.”
“I don’t think he wants to give up the thrill and excitement of racing every week.
“That’s fun until it isn’t. It’s fun to win races and championships. I am not sure GP wants to leave that.
Red Bull will promote from within. They may receive two persons. A head technician will handle the race team’s pit stops, and they’ll select a sporting director who is well-versed in the laws.”
Wheatley has previously explained his sports director role, in which his knowledge of Formula One rules gives Red Bull an advantage during race weekends: “The way I do my job is insane in a lot of ways because I think through every single scenario that I think could happen and I look at the rules and I look at how the team might react and I try to come up with an idea.”
MEDIA CHALLENGE AWAITS JONATHAN WHEATLEY
Audi’s significant investment, ahead of their full 2026 entry, includes Wheatley as team principal and Mattia Binotti as Chief Operating and Technical Officer.
“Wheatley has got a lot to do, working with Binotto who he already knows,” Kravitz tells CNN.
“His competence is as a rules man. He understands the rules better than anyone else in the world.
“He needs to learn everyone’s names, the language, and how things work before deciding whether to modify them.
“Will he turn up to team principals’ meeting or will he leave it to Binotto?”
Kravitz added: “The rules man, who has won Red Bull races and titles because of his intuitive grasp of the rules and how to apply them, is going.
“Did he always want to be a team principal? I guess so. He is ambitious, as are most people in Formula One.
“Christian Horner’s not going anywhere. Wheatley was rumored by the media earlier this year to be a potential Horner replacement, but we now know that is not the case.
“I do not believe Wheatley will have pushed his name to the media.
“Wheatley will have to address the media. I don’t recall seeing an in-depth interview with Wheatley. Red Bull has permitted us to speak with him on Red Bull being the greatest at pit stops.
“Wheatley will have to do his first big interviews with people.”
