In March, Audi announced Wheatley had left his position as team principal with immediate effect due to "personal reasons," with multiple reports linking the Briton to the role at Aston Martin.

Since their rebrand in 2021, Aston Martin have already had four team principals, as rumours also swirl that Adrian Newey, appointed as Aston's team principal in November, could step down to focus on more technical matters.

The Aston Martin merry-go-round of team bosses is a concern for F1 legend Brundle, but the Sky pundit has nonetheless backed his "mate" for success with the team in green.

Speaking on Sky's The F1 Show, Brundle said: "They've had such a revolving door of management at Aston Martin, haven't they? And some curious decisions I think they've taken about who does what and who's in charge.

Former McLaren man Brundle said he was surprised at Wheatley's Audi departure just ten months after being made team principal, despite having heard rumours he would leave the Swiss-based team during the season-opener in Melbourne.

"It's not something I picked up on from him at all, but maybe moving back to the UK appeals to him and paying some tax," he joked.

"But yeah, that's a curious one. I didn't see that one coming from Jonathan if I'm honest, although I was told twice in Melbourne that that was going to happen, actually.

"Everybody just runs for cover in the team and keeps their heads down because they don't know what's happening next, who they report to, what the strategy is, or whatever. So it's really a difficult situation for them all around."

Elsewhere, driver Lance Stroll has illustrated Aston Martin's 2026 struggles with a joke that he and teammate Fernando Alonso were battling in an "Aston Martin-Honda championship" on their own in Suzuka.

The Silverstone's start to the season has been plagued by extreme battery vibration issues from the Honda engine, which team principal Newey claimed could cause 'permanent nerve damage' for the drivers.

Despite Stroll's retirement in Japan, however, some progress has been made as Alonso successfully finished a Grand Prix for the first time this season at Honda's home race.