Jonathan Wheatley: The key man in Kick Sauber and Red Bull's success, says Mattia Binotto

In an interview with The Race, Audi's project leader, Mattia Binotto, revealed how crucial Wheatley is to the team. The Italian said: “His help is huge thanks to not only the competence and skills, but the big experience he has.” The former Ferrari team boss praised his colleague and mentioned they work well together in their roles.

Both Binotto and Wheatley have been active in the pinnacle of motorsport since the 1990s. While the Italian started directly at Ferrari developing F1 engines, Wheatley began his career at Benetton as a mechanic.

The two men have worked alongside a list of big names in Formula 1. Wheatley witnessed the first titles of both Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, while Binotto was there to witness the very same Schumacher winning five back-to-back titles with Ferrari. “We even do not discuss much between us, because I think it's really one world that we understand,” stated the Audi executive.

Binotto also elaborated on the path he wants to steer Audi on. The 55-year-old said: “[We want to] create really the one team, the one team spirit and the one team sense," he said. "At the moment, it's two different companies, two different sites, and two different locations.” Sauber is primarily operating out of Hinwil, but Audi has not yet fully settled into their new factory in the UK.

However, this does not necessarily pose a problem, as Binotto hinted at the successes that Red Bull achieved in recent years during their partnership with Honda. “There are teams which are proven that you can win, having an engine in Japan, and a chassis in England. So I don't think that's an obstacle,” Binotto concluded.