Aston Martin eyes Audi's Wheatley for team principal role to free up Newey

Aston Martin is reportedly targeting Audi's Jonathan Wheatley to become its new team principal, a move designed to allow legendary designer Adrian Newey to step back from day-to-day management and focus solely on car development. The potential appointment would mark a significant strategic shift for the struggling team, which has endured a disastrous start to the 2026 season with its new Honda power unit.

Why it matters:

This potential leadership change underscores Aston Martin's urgent need to rectify its technical crisis and optimize its star signing. Freeing Adrian Newey from operational duties to concentrate on the car's fundamental design flaws—particularly the severe vibration issues with the Honda engine—could be the fastest path to recovery. It also signals the end of Newey's interim role as team principal, aligning the team's structure with its original vision when he was hired as Managing Technical Partner.

The details:

• Sky Sports News reports that Adrian Newey, who assumed the team principal role at the start of the year, welcomes the idea of Wheatley's arrival and would revert to a full-time technical focus.
• Newey's authority would remain intact; as Managing Technical Partner, he would retain full control over all technical matters and report directly to owner Lawrence Stroll.
• Other candidates were considered, including Max Verstappen's Red Bull race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, who declined an approach. Former McLaren boss Andreas Seidl is not in contention.
• Securing Wheatley would effectively close the door on any future move for Red Bull's Christian Horner to Aston Martin.
• Any deal is complex and not imminent. Audi would likely enforce a lengthy period of gardening leave, and the process could take months, with no agreement expected before the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix.
• Both Aston Martin and Audi have issued statements refusing to comment on the speculation.

The big picture:

Aston Martin's season has unraveled rapidly since pre-season testing, plagued by the team's late start and critical issues with the new Honda power unit. The vibrations are so severe that drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll have reported physical discomfort and a loss of feeling in their hands, forcing Honda to run the engine below full capacity. Newey has publicly acknowledged a "disconnect" in understanding the experience level of Honda's current workforce compared to its championship-winning past.

What's next:

All eyes will be on Aston Martin's performance at Honda's home race, the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, where pressure will be immense.

• It remains unclear whether Adrian Newey will attend the event or remain at the Silverstone factory to oversee upgrade production.
• The protracted process to potentially hire Jonathan Wheatley means the current leadership structure, with Newey as team principal, will continue in the short term as the team battles to understand and fix its deeply troubled AMR26 car.