Aston Martin take major Adrian Newey stance despite Jonathan Wheatley exit

Aston Martin has reiterated its position on team principal Adrian Newey despite Jonathan Wheatley leaving his role as team boss at Audi.

Audi has confirmed that Wheatley has left the Swiss-based team with immediate effect "for personal reasons". Mattia Binotto has again assumed the role of team principal, alongside his current position as the head of the German manufacturer's F1 project.

It has been assumed that Wheatley's exit would pave the way for the Englishman to reunite with Newey at Aston Martin following their prior 19 years together at Red Bull.

Newey, originally appointed in March as managing technical partner, took up the role of team principal last November, replacing Andy Cowell, who was moved sideways into a new role within the organisation.

Team owner Lawrence Stroll said: “With the current speculation surrounding Adrian Newey’s role in our team, I want to take this opportunity to set the record straight.

“As executive chairman and controlling shareholder, I would like to reaffirm that Adrian Newey is my partner and an important shareholder. He is AMR’s managing technical partner, and he and I have a true partnership built on a shared vision of success for the company.

“We do things differently here, and while we don't currently adopt the traditional team principal role that you see elsewhere, it is by design.

“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.”