Andrea Stella has extended his F1 deal to remain at McLaren for more seasons, as Sauber/Audi has firmed Jonathan Wheatley’s joining date.
McLaren –
McLaren Racing today announced a multi-year extension of Andrea Stella’s contract as the McLaren Formula 1 Team Principal. Since taking up the role of Team Principal in December 2022, the team has progressed rapidly under his guidance, earning two Grands Prix wins, a further 18 Grands Prix podiums and one Sprint win.
Prior to his Team Principal role, Andrea worked as Head of Race Operations and Performance Director, before being promoted to Executive Director, Racing in 2019. Before joining the team in 2015, Andrea started his career at Ferrari, working as Performance Engineer for Michael Schumacher and Kimi Räikkönen and then as Race Engineer for Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso during his 15-year tenure.
In the past year, the team have confirmed multi-year extensions for drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Today’s announcement reaffirms the long-term stability of the team in its pursuit of World Championships.
Andrea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren F1, said: “It’s a privilege to be part of the McLaren Formula 1 team, and I am honoured to continue in my role as Team Principal. We’ve made great strides forward in the past year and a half and we still have a lot more work to do to consistently fight at the front of the grid, which poses an exciting challenge. Success comes through the Team working in synergy, and I am enjoying my role, which has allowed me to help unlock individual talent and empower people to work together towards our Team’s objectives.
“My thanks go to Zak for his confidence in me as a leader, to my entire leadership team and all my colleagues in the Team, for their continued collaboration and support. I am excited for what we can continue to achieve together.”
Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said: “I am delighted to confirm we’ve extended Andrea’s contract as our F1 Team Principal for multiple years. His excellent leadership, expertise and the respect he holds within the team and Formula 1 means we could not have a better person in place to continue the pursuit of consistently fighting at the front of the grid.
“His impact on McLaren F1 in his role as Team Principal has been profound, not only through our results on track and the trajectory of the team but also in his development of our culture and mindset. With multi-year extensions already agreed with Lando, Oscar, and now Andrea, we can confidently continue on our quest to become World Champions. We’re all looking forward to the years to come under Andrea’s leadership.”
Sauber/Audi –
Only a few days after the realignment of the management team for the future Audi F1 factory team with the appointment of Mattia Binotto, the next step has now been taken. With Jonathan Wheatley, Audi has acquired the services of a further top-ranking expert for its ambitious F1 project.
“I am delighted that we have been able to gain Jonathan Wheatley as Team Principal for our future Formula 1 team,” says Gernot Döllner, CEO of AUDI AG. “Jonathan has played a major part in many Formula 1 race victories and World Championship titles in his Formula 1 career so far, and has extensive experience in the paddock. He is a very valuable addition to our team.“
Jonathan Wheatley’s career in Formula 1 started back in the early 1990s at Benetton Formula One, where he rose to become chief mechanic. He then moved to the newly founded Red Bull Racing team, where has been very successful as Sporting Director. In his time at Red Bull Racing, Wheatley has been involved in winning all six constructor’s and seven Driver’s World Championships.
Mattia Binotto and Jonathan Wheatley will together head the new management team at Sauber Motorsport AG. In their new positions, both will report directly to Gernot Döllner in his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sauber Motorsport AG. They will jointly take responsibility for the success of the racing team. There is a clear division of duties, and responsibilities have been individually defined.
As COO and CTO, Mattia Binotto takes over the operative management of Sauber Motorsport AG at the site in Hinwil and the technical development of the future racing cars. In this role he is the overall technical interface between the development teams in Hinwil and Audi Formula Racing GmbH at the Audi site in Neuburg an der Donau, which is responsible for development of the power unit.
By July 2025 at the latest – Jonathan Wheatley will complete Audi’s new management team for Formula 1 in the role of Team Principal and management spokesperson. He will focus above all on the racing performance of the future F1 factory team, on operational management of all race events, and on representing Audi at Team-Principal level in matters relating to Formula 1.
The decision in favor of a dual management team is part of the realignment of the control structure of the future factory team in the context of the full takeover of all shares in the Sauber Group by Audi. “With the appointment of Jonathan and Mattia we have taken a decisive step towards our entry into Formula 1,“ says Gernot Döllner. “I am convinced that with the two of them, we have been able to combine an extremely high level of competence for Audi. Their experience and their ability will help us to get a foothold quickly in the tough competitive world of Formula 1.“
Jonathan Wheatley, the future Team Principal of the Audi F1 factory team, says: “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.“
Mattia Binotto, COO and CTO of Sauber Motorsport AG, says: “I have known Jonathan for many years and rate him highly as an experienced and committed motorsport expert. 2026 is not a long time away now, and I’m looking forward to setting up the new racing team for Audi along with Jonathan and leading it to success.“
Here’s news from Red Bull about Jonathan Wheatley
Here’s Mattia Binotto joining Audi
Here’s Audi naming Castrol/bp as partner
Here’s Sauber hiring Stefan Strahnz as Performance Director
Here’s Oscar Piastri, Andrea Stella on win chance
Here’s Max Verstappen on keeping Lando Norris behind
Here’s link to a F1 Discord channel, join in to interact
[Note: The story is as per press release]
