Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko understands outgoing Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley’s choice to leave the team at the end of the year to join’s Audi Formula 1 venture.
Wheatley was announced as the future Sauber/Audi Team Principal in August and he will leave Red Bull at the end of this year having joined the team in 2006.
A period of gardening leave will see him take his new appointment at Hinwil in July, 2025, with CEO Mattia Binotto filling the role on an interim basis for the first half of next year.
Marko, although sad to see Wheatley leave Red Bull, where he is a highly respected member of the organisation, understands the motivations behind the move and stated that Audi’s offer couldn’t be matched.
“Jonathan is over 50 years old,” Marko began (via the Inside Line podcast).
“He started as a mechanic and has an incredible career, which he can be very proud of, and he wanted a position that was more demanding for him.
“Unfortunately, the offer came from Audi, which we couldn’t match, as whether because of the position or the money they offered him. I understand him, he went for his opportunity.
“Of course, it is a loss for us. Jonathan has been a very important member of the team.
“Our pit stops have been a reference, but not only that, also the way in which the mechanics have been trained and [his] interactions with the FIA as Sporting Director.”
Wheatley was the second major figure to announce his departure from Red Bull this year, following the May news that Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey’s time at Milton Keynes is set to come to an end.
Still, like with Newey, Marko is confident that Red Bull can cope with Wheatley’s loss and the team will look within to fill the hole he’ll leave within the squad.
“We have a team with many young people and we have the opportunity to assign Jonathan’s role to other people and we believe that we can manage this situation internally,” Marko explained.
Wheatley meanwhile, will have an incredibly tough task on his hands, inheriting the least competitive outfit on the Formula 1 grid in Sauber.
Sauber remains the only team yet to score a point this term and upon his official start with the Swiss-based outfit in July next year, Wheatley will have just half a season to turn things around ahead of Audi’s arrival in 2026.
