(Motorsport-Total.com) – Did Audi F1 project leader Mattia Binotto possibly unconsciously hint at the reasons for the surprising exit of team principal Jonathan Wheatley at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka? The 56-year-old Italian made it clear on Saturday that Audi will not fill the Briton’s role.
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“In my opinion, we are not looking for a new team principal for the future,” said Binotto, who has taken over Wheatley’s duties, and added: “I will keep the role, but I need support on race weekends because I cannot always be on-site myself.”
“My focus is primarily on the factory, where there is the most to change – I would say, not just to develop, but to fundamentally transform,” the project leader adds. “Therefore, support on race weekends is essential.”
Wheatley’s departure came as a surprise to many in the team, especially for Nico Hülkenberg, who only found out when his mother sent him a link to a corresponding online article. There were also no signs externally.
Was Wheatley unhappy with his role?
However, Binotto’s statement that he could basically do the work himself, with another person stepping in for him on race weekends when he does not want to be present, provides a clear hint at a possible reason for Wheatley’s search for another team.
Binotto is used to taking on several roles at once: at Ferrari, he continued to hold the operational leadership of the development department even after his promotion from technical director to team principal. Wheatley, on the other hand, clearly saw his move to Audi as a career springboard after his position as sporting director.
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Although the role of the team principal has changed over the years because they are now mostly employees and no longer owners, Wheatley spent two decades at Red Bull under Christian Horner, who expected every aspect of the team’s business to be presented to him. The Briton wanted to break away from that.
But Binotto’s statements suggest that the team principal position at Audi is interpreted significantly differently than Wheatley originally expected. Instead of a classic overall responsibility at the track, the role was apparently primarily designed as a supporting function under Binotto.
Mattia Binotto: “It’s not about individuals”
In any case, it would not be surprising if Wheatley was dissatisfied that his new role did not represent the expected improvement. If this is the case, it would likely annoy him all the more that his former boss downplayed his achievements of the last few months in Japan.
“I have to say that the team remained very focused and concentrated this weekend. Operationally, the team also performed very well this weekend,” Binotto said after the Japanese Grand Prix with a little swipe.
“And we can be satisfied because it shows that in the end, it’s not about individuals. It’s about the team. What matters most is the team. That’s why I’m not worried about the future because of individual people.”
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