Audi 'shock' tipped as Jonathan Wheatley exit trigger

Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has suggested that the “shock” of living in Switzerland compared to the UK may have been a key factor behind Jonathan Wheatley’s exit from Audi.

The German manufacturer announced on Friday afternoon that Wheatley had left his position as team boss — and the outfit altogether — with immediate effect, due to “personal reasons”.

It has been widely reported that Wheatley is set to join Aston Martin as team principal, allowing Adrian Newey to focus solely on his original role as managing technical partner.

Wheatley’s departure from Audi comes just two races into the 2026 season — the first under the new power unit regulations and Audi’s debut campaign in F1 after taking over from Sauber.

The team has continued to operate from Sauber’s Hinwil base in Switzerland, something Montoya believes must be difficult for someone who has spent so many years in the UK.

In addition to being British, the entirety of Wheatley’s F1 career has been based in the UK since 1991, first at Enstone with Benetton and then in Milton Keynes with Red Bull.

Switzerland is known to be an incredibly beautiful place to live, but Montoya highlighted the challenges of being away from the UK, given that it is where Wheatley had always previously been based.

Asked for his initial reaction to Wheatley leaving Audi, Montoya exclusively told RacingNews365: "It would have to be, first of all, a chance to go back and live in the UK. 

"I think that's always been one of the harder things when it was Sauber — getting the right people to work there — is that, yes, Switzerland is amazing and everything, but when you've been in racing and you've always been involved in the UK, going to live in a different place is a bit of a shock. 

"And I think the way Audi and Sauber worked together — now everything is Audi — maybe it's too political. If he gets the opportunity to go and do something else, it's fine."