Strange Wheatley nameplate appears in unexpected area of Canadian GP paddock

The former Red Bull sporting director, who had served as team principal at Audi since the early stages of its F1 entry, sent shockwaves through the paddock when his exit was confirmed. While reports have largely attributed his departure to personal reasons, rumours of a potential switch to Aston Martin have continued to circulate.

Those rumours were further fuelled in Montreal after a sign was spotted in the team principals’ car park reading: “Jonathan Wheatley, Aston Martin.”

Ahead of on-track action, the sign immediately caught attention in Montreal, with many interpreting it as a possible hint towards Wheatley’s next destination. Its presence in such a sensitive area of the paddock only intensified speculation linking the former Red Bull figure to the Silverstone-based team.

So far, the Aston Martin outfit had previously denied talks linking them to the 59-year-old and had issued a statement to clarify its stance as the rumour mill gathered traction.

Chairman of the Aston Martin outfit, Lawrence Stroll, in his press statement, clarified things regarding his team signing Wheatley and the continuity of Adrian Newey as the team’s current team principal. In his statement, the Canadian businessman noted how Newey remains firmly in charge of the team as team principal, before noting his team does not comment on rumours and speculation.

“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,” the statement read.

In the lead-up to the Miami Grand Prix, the Audi outfit announced Allan McNish would succeed Wheatley at Audi, but under a different name. The Scottish motorsport chief will become the team's Racing Director rather than team principal.

McNish is responsible for all trackside operations. His role includes oversight of sporting matters, engineering coordination, driver management, race strategy and garage operations, as well as on-track media and partner activities.

Earlier, McNish detailed his thoughts after his debut with Audi at the Miami Grand Prix. The Scotsman, who completed his first weekend in the role in Miami after being confirmed, admitted to being more nervous than expected.

"I'm actually more nervous now than any time before," said the former driver in a conversation with GPblog.