Red Bull have confirmed the departure of the team’s Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley will leave the team to take a position as Team Principal at Audi’s planned team.

Wheatley, 57, will leave Red Bull after 18 years with the Milton Keynes-based team at the end of the 2024 season, before starting work with Audi after a period of gardening leave. The two teams have not publicly stated when Wheatley will start with Audi, with his future team saying he is to start there by July 2025.

The move is part of a reshuffle at the Audi project, which has seen former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto recently confirmed as the team’s new Chief Operating Officer and Technical Officer. Former higher-ups Andreas Siedl and Oliver Hoffmann were confirmed as leaving last week.

The German motor manufacturer is taking over the Sauber team, with the team to race as Audi from 2026.

Audi have said the structure of their Sauber operation will see Binotto run as an operational manager out of the team’s base in Switzerland and oversee technical development of the race cars, while Wheatley will work on managing the team at races and as a Team Principal representative.

Wheatley had joined Red Bull in 2006, leaving the Chief Mechanic role at Renault just after they had won the 2005 Drivers and Constructors championships.

The Briton joined Red Bull as a Team Manager, before gaining the title of Sporting Director in 2018.

He has been involved in Red Bull for all of their championships, with the team winning six Drivers and seven Constructors Championship titles, including the last 3 Drivers and 2 Constructors prizes.

The Milton Keynes-based team currently lead both championships after 14 races of the current F1 season, which is currently on a summer break.

Wheatley is the second noteworthy figure to leave Red Bull, with the team’s Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey announcing his departure after 17 years with the team in May. It is as yet unknown where he is intending to move to after leaving Red Bull, which will happen by March 2025.

In a statement, Red Bull’s Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner paid tribute to Wheatley and said that the team will now look to reshuffle the team’s structure.

He said, “It has been a long and successful relationship with Jonathan, over 18 years. His contribution to six World Constructors’ Titles and seven World Drivers’ Championship, first as Team Manager and latterly Sporting Director will forever be a marker in our Team history.

“Jonathan will remain in his position until the end of the 2024 season, as the Team seek to defend both our World Drivers’ and World Constructors’ Titles successfully. A period of gardening leave will follow in 2025.

“Everyone at Oracle Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Technology wish him all the best in his new role and would like to place our thanks to Jonathan. Red Bull Racing have tremendous strength and depth and this provides opportunity to elevate others within the Team. We will announce a new Team structure in the coming weeks.”

In a statement published by Audi, Wheatley said he was proud of his work with Red Bull but was excited to take the task of helping Audi launch their first ever Formula One team.

He said, “I am extremely proud to have been a part of the Red Bull Racing journey over the last eighteen years and will leave with many fond memories. However, the opportunity to play an active part in Audi’s entry into Formula 1 as head of a factory team is a uniquely exciting prospect, and I am looking forward to the challenge. Also I am glad to be working together with Mattia, whom I have known for many years and who is the right person to collaborate with in this exciting project.“