Formula 1: Articles & News Reports.

[Fortitude]

Wheatley leaves Audi: This appears to be a key reason behind stepping down.
The relationship between team boss Jonathan Wheatley and Mattia Binotto (COO and CTO of the Audi F1 project) was strained, GPblog understands. That seems to be a key reason for the former to quit a seemingly attractive job at Audi and ultimately choose Aston Martin.
20 Mar 2026
Kada Sárközi
Ludo van Denderen
GPblog.com

GPblog understands that the relationship between Binotto and Wheatley was difficult. Although Binotto, as COO and CTO, was the most important figure within the organization, he had no influence over Wheatley’s appointment. Both appointments were made by Audi’s top management; the Italian had no say in that. But apparently, Wheatley was not the team boss Binotto would have preferred.

By leaving Audi, Wheatley can also leave Switzerland, where he lived there for only a year. He can return to his family and friends in the United Kingdom, especially if he indeed goes to work for Aston Martin. That team’s factory is in Silverstone, not far from Milton Keynes where Wheatley previously worked with Red Bull.

He may also be in line for a pay raise, as co-owner Lawrence Stroll is determined to bring the best people to Aston Martin. It’s no coincidence that several key figures from other teams have succumbed to the British outfit in recent years.

‘Strained relationship’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/features/w...n-to-step-down


‘With immediate effect’, Wheatley’s Audi departure confirmed
21 Mar 2026
Jawad Yaqub
F1 Chronicle

Audi have announced that its Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley has left the team “with immediate effect”, amid speculation surrounding his ex-Red Bull colleague Adrian Newey’s position at Aston Martin. The Hinwil based outfit confirmed Wheatley’s departure in a press release, citing “personal reasons” for the 58-year old leaving the team which he joined only twelve months ago. Being a desire to return home to the UK.

“We are grateful to Jonathan Wheatley for his contribution to the project during the crucial entry phase and wish him all the best for the future,” said Audi AG’s CEO and chairman of the board of management of Audi Motorsport AG, Gernot Döllner. “Mattia Binotto and the team will continue to pursue the path we have chosen with determination.”

“Our focus remains unchanged: we are concentrating all our efforts on building a team competing at the highest level that will challenge for world championships in Formula 1 by 2030. We will continuously develop our organisational structures to achieve our shared goal in a sustainable manner.”

‘With immediate effect’;

https://f1chronicle.com/with-immedia.../?nowprocket=1


Ex-F1 boss dismisses Audi’s explanation for shock Jonathan Wheatley departure
22 Mar 2026
Anirban Aly Mandal
Motorsport Week

Bernie Ecclestone has given his two cents on Jonathan Wheatley’s shock Formula 1 departure from Audi as rumors of Aston Martin appointment intensify. Ecclestone calls reason for Jonathan Wheatley Audi departure “impossible”. Former F1 boss Ecclestone may have some light to shed on these personal reasons, dismissing Audi’s explanation for Wheatley’s sudden departure.

“That’s actually impossible,” he told Blick. “It would only make sense if he doesn’t like it in Switzerland and wants to go back to England.” Stroll’s comments might turn out to be a window to the future, with the British marque employing Wheatley’s services whilst allowing Newey to re-focus his expertise into the technical aspects of Aston Martin’s F1 project.

“That’s actually impossible”;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2026/...ley-departure/


Aston Martin statement reinforces Adrian Newey role amid Jonathan Wheatley speculation
20 Mar 2026
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com

Aston Martin has issued a statement, shortly after Jonathan Wheatley’s confirmed departure from the Audi F1 team. “With the current speculation surrounding Adrian Newey’s role in our team, I want to take this opportunity to set the record straight,” Stroll said, with his team having been embroiled in rumours for days.

“As Executive Chairman and Controlling Shareholder, I would like to reaffirm that Adrian Newey is my partner and an important shareholder. He is AMR’s Managing Technical Partner, and he and I have a true partnership built on a shared vision of success for the company. We do things differently here, and while we don’t currently adopt the traditional Team Principal role that you see elsewhere – it is by design.”


“As the most successful engineer in the history of the sport, Adrian’s primary focus is on the strategic and technical leadership, where he excels. He is supported by a highly skilled Senior Leadership Team to deliver on all aspects of the business, both at the Campus and trackside. We are regularly approached by senior executives of other teams who wish to join Aston Martin Aramco, but in keeping with our policy, we do not comment on rumour and speculation.”

‘Aston Martin statement’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/jonath...ian-newey-role


Jonathan Wheatley exits Audi and sparks Aston Martin shake-up as Newey steps back
Aston Martin moves quickly after a troubled start to 2026, with Jonathan Wheatley set to replace Adrian Newey in a major leadership reset
20 Mar 2026
John Smith
Total Motorsport

Aston Martin turns to experience amid early crisis. For Aston Martin, the arrival of Wheatley represents a shift in approach at a critical moment. A veteran of Benetton, Renault and Red Bull, where he played a central role in the team’s operational success, Wheatley brings a reputation for structure, discipline and race-day execution.

Those qualities are now urgently needed as the team looks to steady itself. While Newey’s technical expertise remains invaluable, the decision to remove him from the day-to-day pressures of team management suggests a recognition that the current structure was not working. The challenge ahead remains significant.

Beyond leadership adjustments, Aston Martin must urgently resolve its power unit issues and extract performance from a package that has yet to deliver on its promise. But with Wheatley expected to take control of the team’s overall direction and Newey focusing on development, there is at least a clearer structure emerging. Whether that will be enough to turn around their 2026 campaign remains uncertain but one thing is clear: the pressure on Aston Martin has never been greater.

‘Major leadership reset’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/jon...in-newey-exit/


Juan Pablo Montoya raises ‘political’ concern for why Jonathan Wheatley has left Audi
21 Mar 2026
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer

Juan Pablo Montoya thinks living in Switzerland might not have been the only reason why Jonathan Wheatley has left Audi, as team politics could also have been an issue. Montoya thinks Wheatley’s resignation shows Audi are now facing the same challenges that Sauber encountered with trying to get Formula 1 personnel to move from mainly England to Switzerland. But it also suggests Wheatley did not like how political the team is under Audi.

There have been rumours of rifts in Wheatley’s relationship with Mattia Binotto, the overall project leader of Audi’s F1 team. Blick reports that Binotto and Wheatley had been clashing over the boundaries of their responsibilities, but Audi have downplayed any power struggle. “It would have to be, first of all, a chance to go back and live in the UK,” Montoya told RacingNews365.

“I think that has always been one of the harder things when they were Sauber, getting the right people to work there. Yes, Switzerland is amazing and everything, but when you’ve been in racing and you’ve always been involved in the UK, going to live in a different place is a bit of a shock. And I think the way Audi and Sauber worked together, now everything is Audi, maybe it’s too political. If he gets the opportunity to go and do something else, it’s fine.”

‘Team politics could also have been an issue’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/jua...has-left-audi/

[Fortitude]

Williams branded ‘biggest flop’ as FW48 drags dead weight.
“…a car that’s apparently almost 30kg too heavy, is a real flop” …30 kilograms isn’t just a disadvantage – it’s an anchor.
20/03/2026
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

“It sounds harsh, but I’d say Williams is the biggest flop.” The phrase lingers like smoke in the paddock air. And Ralf Schumacher doubled down, pointing to the heart of the issue – a car that may be fundamentally compromised. “When you consider what sort of engine is in the back and what’s being made of it at the moment, I have to say that Williams, with a car that’s apparently almost 30kg too heavy, is a real flop,” he added. In an era where grams matter, 30 kilograms isn’t just a disadvantage – it’s an anchor.

If Schumacher exposed the problem, Juan Pablo Montoya demanded consequences. The former Williams racer, who also once carried the team’s legacy on his shoulders, delivered a stark warning about what failure at this level should mean. “Personally someone should be held responsible for that,” he said. “The people on that team and someone who held a position that obviously involved supervising that and making a mistake like that, should be responsible for it and should set a bit of an example for people.”

‘30kg: It’s an anchor’;

https://f1i.com/news/561495-williams...ad-weight.html


Williams engineer privately revealed they are losing a second a lap due to FW48’s weight issues
17 Mar 2026
Aaditya Krishnamurthy
F1 Oversteer

Tom Clarkson and Jolyon Palmer discussed on the F1 Nation podcast the problems Williams are facing...

Clarkson: “One of the engineers told me that in weight alone, it’s about a second a lap, compared to people who are on the weight limit.”
Palmer: “I heard in Bahrain that the car was heavier this year than it was last year. Bear in mind the weight limit has come down by 32 kilos, TC. That’s outrageous. That’s what they’re dealing with.”

“The weight is a natural penalty. It makes about a second a lap. Probably there’s a few sensors on the car in testing that they can take off and trim it down a little bit. So the weight’s a second. Good. There’s a chance you can take off the weight and find it, but you need to still be able to take off the weight. They’ve got hopes for Miami. With a bit more time now, they’ll be able to trim weight off the car. But we’re not talking about one magic fix. We’re talking about every single component, trying to shave off grams here or there, and add downforce, so it’s a double-edged sword.”

‘Losing a second a lap’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/wil...weight-issues/


Yet another Williams car problem might be its most troubling
22 Mar 2026
SCOTT MITCHELL-MALM
The Race

Alex Albon: "The biggest issue at the minute is the car three-wheeling, so we just need to fix it." Three-wheeling is when the car lifts one tyre off the ground in a corner, usually the inside rear. It is not always fully detached from the ground but can give that sensation if the suspension brings the wheel up such that it is significantly unloaded. The effect is the car running with a reduced contact patch across the four wheels that reduces mechanical grip but also disrupts its aerodynamic platform. This means the car can lack grip and be unpredictable.

As Albon said in China, "we can’t hide behind the weight". There are other issues hurting Williams - "some weird stuff going on in the car", Albon said, after a weekend in which multiple set-up changes did not help and reliability problems after a gearbox change meant he did not even start Sunday's grand prix. "Nothing seems to fix the car," he said. "There's a lot of balance issues in the car," said Albon. "We aren't seeing some downforce as well, so it's an accumulation of things. The weight's one thing. There's also plans kind of in conjunction with the weight loss to get the car a bit in balance and also at downforce quicker."

"We know we are too slow and we are too slow compared to where we wanted to be, compared to where we expected to be," Carlos Sainz said. "Part of that is weight that we know we need to get out of the car but another part, a very big part of it, is downforce that we need to improve. We haven't been the most reliable car also. Honestly we need to level up because we're having too many issues in too many areas and as a team, we need to dig deep. I hope these two points serve as motivation, as a bit of a bonus motivation for everyone to go back home and dig deep because it's not where we wanted to be and where we said we would be this season."

'Biggest issue: Three-wheeling car';

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/y...ost-troubling/


Williams ignoring potential strategy errors will affect them far more than current weight issues
19 Mar 2026
Aaditya Krishnamurthy
F1 Oversteer

James Vowles claims Williams pit strategy would not have earned them more points in Shanghai. James Vowles answered fan questions in the latest episode of Vowles Verdict. When asked whether a better-timed pit stop to align with the safety car would have helped Carlos Sainz earn a better finish, Vowles refuted the notion. “Had we waited just one lap, that’s how short it was, we would have pitted ahead of Lawson. However, from everything we can see at the moment, based on where we are performance-wise, that wouldn’t have resulted in a different finish position.”

“Perhaps a slightly easier race, but the same finish position, which was P9. In terms of the decision itself, the team were always conscious that these regulations and the amount of reliability we’ve seen now, there was a high probability at any given lap of a car breakdown and a safety car. But it’s hard to do. It’s a random event, and in the meantime, their focus was on the amount of graining we had on the medium tyre and effectively gaining off that tyre because we were starting to lose a lot of performance.”

‘Williams ignoring potential strategy errors will affect them far more…’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/wil...weight-issues/


James Vowles says Williams now have an ‘aggressive’ plan to improve the pace of their 2026 F1 car
17 Mar 2026
Ashley Hambly
F1 Oversteer

From inside the Chinese Grand Prix paddock, James Vowles said, “We’ve got Suzuka coming up and then that long break as a result of Bahrain and Saudi unfortunately being cancelled. On a note on that, thank you to the FIA, who I know have taken a difficult decision, but have considered all elements. But also, my heart goes out to all those affected by it at the same time.”

“In terms of Japan, we’ll come back stronger, and I’m confident as we then go through that break into Miami, there’s a lot more to come. We know we’re not where we wanted to be today, there’s no doubt about that. But we have an aggressive plan to get us back to where the car really should be. That’s round two over, and our first points on the board for Carlos,” Vowles added. “Absolutely incredible drive by him. Whether he’s fighting for a podium or two points, you can tell he puts his heart and soul into it and earned the result today.”

“I’m desperately sorry for Alex, we weren’t able to start the race. We changed the gearbox overnight and suffered a hydraulics issue this morning, which you can only find by effectively driving on laps to the grid. The team, as hard as they worked, weren’t able to repair it before the start of the race. And it’s deeply disappointing because I truly believe he had the potential to also score a point.”

“In terms of Japan, we’ll come back stronger”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/jam...r-2026-f1-car/


Williams delivered crushing ‘flop of the season’ verdict as longstanding F1 rumor resurfaces
20 Mar 2026
Anirban Aly Mandal
Motorsport Week

Former Formula 1 [WILLIAMS] drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya have laid into Williams as a rumored overweight FW48 gets called the “biggest flop” of the 2026 season. Looking at the state of affairs at Williams, former driver Schumacher called them the “biggest flop” of the season so far. “Aston Martin, (are struggling) too, and obviously Honda with the issues they’re facing. So these teams naturally have a huge opportunity. It sounds harsh, but I think it’s almost that simple to call Honda that. I’d say Williams is the biggest flop.”

If these rumors are true, then, Williams have taken a big step backwards in terms of developing its package for F1’s latest era. Montoya, who drove for the team between 2001 and 2004, has gone as far as suggesting that the engineers responsible should be relieved from their duties immediately. “Personally someone should be held responsible for that,” he told AS Colombia. “The people on that team and someone who held a position that obviously involved supervising that and making a mistake like that, should be responsible for it and should set a bit of an example for people.”

“Not by threatening people, but people have to take responsibility for their work, if you know what I mean? If you’re the captain of, I don’t know, a cruise ship and you sink the ship, you’ll be sacked, if you know what I mean? If you’ve got a job to do and you mess it up, you’re out. And so I think that’s important.”

‘Laid into Williams: Flop of the season – “Williams is the biggest flop’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2026/...or-resurfaces/