Jonathan Wheatley, who currently serves as Team Principal of Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, has finally shed light on the real reason behind his decision to leave Red Bull Racing, the team with which he had spent many successful years. According to Wheatley, his exit was not due to performance or career growth, but rather stemmed from a difficult internal situation that made continuing at Milton Keynes untenable.
In recent seasons, Red Bull Racing has experienced a series of high-profile departures, which have cast a shadow over the dominant team’s internal climate. Among the most notable are Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey, one of the most successful engineers in the history of Formula 1, and Team Principal Christian Horner. Both played crucial roles in the squad’s rise to success over the past two decades.
Jonathan Wheatley’s departure came in the wake of the 2024 Miami Grand Prix. He pointed to an incident that took place shortly after the race — the publication of a controversial article that mentioned him extensively and caused considerable disruption within the team environment. This marked a turning point in his relationship with Red Bull and led him to consider alternative opportunities in Formula 1.
The reason behind the departure
Speaking to RacingNews365, Jonathan Wheatley elaborated on the events that led to his exit. He explained that the media attention triggered by the article in question was something he neither sought nor welcomed.
“To be honest, an article came out after last year’s Miami Grand Prix that I wasn’t happy about. Until that point, I had intentionally kept a very low media profile. Suddenly, my name was in all the newspapers, and that created a difficult atmosphere at work,” Wheatley revealed.
He went on to say that this unwanted exposure led to interest from other teams, prompting him to rethink his career path. “There were several approaches and I started thinking about leaving. Many people were curious about what I could become in a new role. My mindset at the time was that I had a permanent contract and I intended to respect it from beginning to end,” he added.
Ultimately, the tensions within Red Bull and the fallout from the media exposure led him to accept a new challenge: becoming Team Principal at Sauber, a team that is preparing for a major transition with Audi’s official entry into Formula 1 in 2026.
Jonathan Wheatley’s move highlights the ongoing internal upheaval at Red Bull Racing. For over two years, reports have surfaced about a tense atmosphere behind the scenes — a situation made more precarious by the recent departure of Christian Horner and the persistent uncertainty surrounding Max Verstappen’s future with the team.
These developments indicate a phase of instability for Red Bull, a team that only recently appeared unbeatable on the track. Jonathan Wheatley’s departure adds another layer to the unfolding narrative of a once-dominant force in Formula 1 now grappling with internal conflict, leadership transitions, and the looming threat of losing its star driver.
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