Wheatley exits Audi: Aston Martin deal nears, but not imminent

In the end, everything accelerated rapidly. It only emerged this past Monday that Jonathan Wheatley was on Aston Martin’s radar, and by Friday, the former Red Bull Racing man had left Audi. A move to the Silverstone-based team seems imminent. The emphasis there is on the word ‘seems’.

Soon after Audi announced Wheatley’s departure when Aston Martin issued a statement about Adrian Newey’s role, who is currently serving as team principal. Lawrence Stroll provided an extensive explanation of the role Newey holds within the organization and will continue to hold for some time. The message concluded by noting that Aston Martin is frequently approached by people from other teams about potential roles.

That might suggest it was Wheatley who went fishing for a job at Aston Martin. That doesn’t seem to be quite the right portrayal. Wheatley’s departure now is mainly because he could get an opportunity with Aston Martin.

Perhaps the announcement of a collaboration will come soon, but Wheatley cannot actually get to work yet, just as he wouldn’t be able to anywhere else. GPblog has learned that a mandatory gardening leave is stipulated in Wheatley’s contract. Nothing is known about its length, but it’s more likely to be months than weeks.

With this in mind, Stroll’s comments about Newey also fall into place. It is not a lie that the Briton will remain Aston Martin's team principal for a while longer; at some point, however, he will step back. Then Newey can once again focus on what gives him the most satisfaction: building fast racing cars.