Red Bull linked with Jonathan Wheatley after Gianpiero Lambiase move to McLaren. Gianpiero Lambiase’s future move to McLaren could reopen the door for Jonathan Wheatley at Red Bull.

The idea comes from the Daily Mail

McLaren beat Aston Martin in the race to sign Gianpiero Lambiase, despite the team owned by Lawrence Stroll reportedly offering him the role of team principal—something that was not on the table from the Woking-based outfit. Losing out on Lambiase could therefore represent yet another disappointment for Aston Martin, in what could turn into a classic case of adding insult to injury.

According to reports from the British tabloid Daily Mail, the fact that Gianpiero Lambiase is set to leave Red Bull—not immediately, but with a move already defined from 2028 onwards—could reopen the doors of the Milton Keynes team to the “prodigal son” Jonathan Wheatley, who is currently on his way out of Audi following disagreements with Mattia Binotto.

Wheatley has been widely tipped to become the next team principal at Aston Martin, but nothing has been officially confirmed so far. Red Bull could now enter the picture by offering the former sporting director an important role within a structure that is still to be fully defined over the medium to long term.

In summary, the departure of Gianpiero Lambiase has created a vacuum at Red Bull that could inadvertently derail Aston Martin’s managerial plans. If Jonathan Wheatley opts for a familiar environment at Milton Keynes over the project at Silverstone, it would mark a significant defensive victory for Red Bull as they attempt to stem the tide of departing talent. For the fans, this high-stakes game of musical chairs behind the scenes is just as compelling as the action on track, proving that in the modern era of F1, the most decisive overtakes often happen in the boardroom. Whether Lawrence Stroll can finalize the Wheatley deal before Red Bull makes a formal counter-offer remains the big question heading into the next few weeks.