Binotto says Audi 'not looking for new team principal' after Wheatley exit

Prior to the Japanese Grand Prix, Audi announced Wheatley had departed with immediate effect due to "personal reasons" with rumours then swirling he was being lined up for the team principal job at Aston Martin.

Speculation has also ramped up over who would replace Wheatley at the Swiss-based team, with his former Red Bull colleague Christian Horner having already been snubbed for the role, as GPblog reported.

However, Head of the Audi F1 project, Binotto, who was announced to have filled the gap left by Wheatley following his exit, has said that the German manufacturer is "not looking for a new team principal."

Speaking to the media after the Japanese Grand Prix, where Audi finished P11 and P13, Binotto explained that the team needs "support" at the race weekends, rather than a new team principal altogether, with the Swiss-Italian saying he is to keep the role.

He said: "For the future, I think we are not looking for a new team principal.

As for who could fill that supporting role, former F1 TV pundit Will Buxton suggested on the Up to Speed Podcast that Le Mans winner and director of Audi's Driver Development Programme Allan McNish is the "perfect man for the job."

Binotto, however, has chosen to focus on Audi's promising team performances, rather than any one individual.

Post-Japan, Binotto said: “The team has remained very focused and concentrated this weekend, and, operationally, the team has performed very well, and we can be pleased showing that, at the end, it’s not about an individual, it’s about the team. What counts the most is the team.”

“So I would not be concerned for the future because of individuals. If you look at the whole team performance again, it has been a great team performance.

“We had great pit stops this weekend, and from the pit wall, I would say, generally speaking, well managed.”