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Motorsport

Who slept best last night: Jonathan Wheatley

Jonathan Wheatley Oliver Hoffmann Audi Sauber Andreas Seidl Gabriel Bortoleto Nico Hulkenberg Red Bull Mattia Binotto F1

I still remember it vividly – exactly one year ago, I walked through the paddock at the Austrian Grand Prix and made my way into the Sauber hospitality area. There I encountered Oliver Hoffmann, then head of Audi’s Formula 1 project – though he seemed far more preoccupied with former German national team footballer Maximilian Arnold and his entourage than with anything else.

Even back then, I found myself wondering: is that really the right focus and strategy for a young, essentially brand-new team? To use the glitz of the undeniably glamorous Formula 1 world to entertain celebrity guests – footballers from Audi-owned VfL Wolfsburg, in this case – instead of concentrating on racing?

Sure, Red Bull does it too. Especially during its home race weekend in Spielberg, where this time even Jurgen Klopp showed up – and cheekily claimed Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer’s chair just before the start of the race.

A year ago, Oliver Hoffmann was something like the Jurgen Klopp of the Audi-Sauber project. With his beard and – at least before the full makeover of the marketing icon for Mainz, Dortmund, Liverpool and now Fuschl – even glasses, there was a certain visual resemblance to Klopp. But, when it came to success, the two couldn't have been further apart.

At the time, Sauber sat dead last in the cConstructors’ championship – with zero points. Perhaps that's one reason Red Bull, after a string of victories and titles, manages to wear the celebrity sparkle a little more convincingly. And why Hoffmann, just days after that scene, was already history.

Andreas Seidl, CEO, Stake F1 Team, in the garage (Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images)

In his fall, he also took down the man I had actually come to meet that day in the hospitality suite: then-Sauber CEO Andreas Seidl. Seidl became the scapegoat in the power struggle surrounding Hoffmann – a battle from which no one emerged unscathed.

Seidl, it must be said, had been operating under heavy constraints. Audi’s full takeover of the team dragged on for ages. And even once it was finalised, the German didn’t yet have the financial resources he needed and couldn’t distribute the money where it was most needed, which meant he simply couldn’t act as freely as he would have liked. And then there was Hoffmann, always playing the know-it-all counterpart.

In the end, Audi didn’t even bother to dissect who had made what mistakes, or who bore what responsibilities. It simply cut both men loose – classic big-corporation politics – and installed what they claimed was a better solution. First Mattia Binotto, then shortly afterward, Jonathan Wheatley. Two high-calibre names from two high-calibre teams in Ferrari and Red Bull respectively.

Binotto, of course, had previously served as team principal at Ferrari – a role that surprised many at the time, given that he is first and foremost a brilliant technician and may not have been ideally placed in his last position with the Scuderia. Wheatley, on the other hand, was highly successful at Red Bull as sporting director, the brain on the pit wall and not the man in the spotlight.

That changed with his move to the ambitious Audi project and his new role as team principal. Now, after roughly half a season, the personnel overhaul finally seems to be bearing fruit. The last time both Sauber drivers scored points was in Qatar back in 2023 when, curiously enough, both drivers also finished in eighth and ninth.

Gabriel Bortoleto, Kick Sauber, Mattia Binotto, COO and CTO of Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber and Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal of Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber (Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images)

While Wheatley’s two drivers stormed into the points, those of his former team Red Bull did not and broke a streak of 77 consecutive points finishes. And whenever things at Red Bull go wrong these days, especially things that used to run like clockwork, Wheatley’s name tends to come up.

Together with Adrian Newey, he may well be the man Red Bull misses the most. And given the team’s year-long dip in form – some even suspect it could mark a longer-term decline ahead of the 2026 regulation overhaul – not even the often superhuman performances of Max Verstappen are enough to fully paper over the cracks.

With persistent rumours linking the reigning world champion to Mercedes, and with Christian Horner still seemingly busy managing the fallout of the scandal surrounding his very own person that rocked the team’s foundations, Wheatley has left all that behind – and perhaps made all the right moves.

Recent updates, especially to the car’s floor, have clearly made an impact. Sauber’s third consecutive points finish suggests the first green shoots of something promising are beginning to sprout between Hinwil and Neuburg an der Donau. What’s more, with the new leadership duo in place, power seems much more evenly distributed than it was during the Hoffmann–Seidl era.

Binotto now focuses on interfacing with the parent company and senior Audi leadership, such as CEO Gernot Dollner – something he’s clearly better suited for than his predecessor, given his insider knowledge of the sport. He’s also hands-on with technical developments, naturally, as he is a technician by training, after all.

Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber (Photo by: Andy Hone / LAT Images via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Wheatley can devote himself to the sporting core of the business – working calmly with the team in Hinwil to improve the tools at their disposal, from the simulator to the factory itself, which is finally being modernised after years of aging infrastructure.

This, by the way, had also been flagged by Seidl – though he had lacked the means to address it. Wheatley, it seems, has had better luck and far better timing. In fact, he’s benefiting from some of Seidl’s long-laid groundwork.

Take, for example, the signing of Nico Hulkenberg. That became evident again this weekend in Spielberg: Audi’s driver lineup looks genuinely well put together. Alongside the experienced veteran, whose contract had been signed by Seidl, the team added reigning Formula 2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto at the end of last season.

While the local tabloids were loudly campaigning for Mick Schumacher to get that second Audi seat – and others were urging Sauber to stick with the rather underperforming Valtteri Bottas – the decision made six months ago has now proven spot-on.

Hulkenberg had already shown at Haas that he can push a team forward. Bortoleto, meanwhile, is a rising star who’s not just keeping up with the rest of the rookie class – he’s outperforming many, as his standout Spielberg weekend made abundantly clear.

With this duo, Audi can look to the future with confidence. Especially since the two drivers get along remarkably well. Like in China, for instance, when Hulkenberg got something in his eye and suddenly Bortoleto appeared in the drivers' room, first-aid kit in hand, ready to help.

On Sunday, the ‘Hulk’ returned the gesture with genuine joy during interviews about the performance and result of his teammate and even emerged from the shower in just a towel, no less, to congratulate the rookie on his first-ever Formula 1 points finish.

A heartfelt, wonderfully down-to-earth moment that was far more fitting for the rustic, underdog spirit of the Hinwil-based squad at the start of its journey with Audi. No need for football stars, flashy watches, or expensive suits. You can safely leave all that behind, but but please let Hulkenberg keep the towel.