Overview
- Audi said before the Japanese Grand Prix that team principal Jonathan Wheatley left for personal reasons after about a year in the job, and project leader Mattia Binotto took over his duties.
- Binotto told Sky the team is not hiring a new team principal and will instead redesign how top roles are split.
- He said the April break, created by the canceled Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races, gives time to set the new structure.
- Binotto signaled he needs more support at race weekends and is weighing changes to the race operations role that links the track crew with leadership.
- Some outlets have reported an Aston Martin approach and family relocation pressures, though neither has been confirmed by Audi or Wheatley.