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Audi has recruited Red Bull's sporting director Jonathan Wheatley to be team principal of its new works Formula 1 team.
It comes just over a week after the news that Audi F1 team CEO Andreas Seidl would leave, along with chairman of the Sauber board Oliver Hoffmann, and ex-Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto would arrive in their place.
Binotto has a dual role as chief operating officer and chief technical officer of Sauber, tasked with leading the team side of the Audi F1 project, reporting to Audi CEO Gernot Dollner.
It always seemed likely that Binotto would need to be supported by a dedicated team principal and that will now be Wheatley.
His is a surprise recruitment given it will be his first time holding such a role but he is a vastly experienced individual who had a key position as part of Red Bull's title-winning F1 operation.
Wheatley was also known to be keen to pursue team principal opportunities, and had been linked with the Red Bull job when there was intense speculation about Christian Horner's future at the start of the year due to an investigation into serious allegations against him.
Audi's timeline, not fully entering as a works team until the new engine rules in 2026, means Wheatley will remain in his position at Red Bull until the end of 2024 before a period of gardening leave follows.
Audi says Wheatley will be in his new position "by July 2025 at the latest", suggesting Audi will want to cut down that gardening leave.
"He will focus above all on the racing performance of the future F1 factory team, on operational management of all race events, and on representing Audi at team principal level in matters relating to Formula 1," Audi's release explained.
Whatley said he was "extremely proud" of his time at Red Bull but called Audi's F1 team "a uniquely exciting prospect".
He cited Binotto as the "right person to collaborate with" who in turn said he rates Wheatley highly as an "experienced and committed motorsport expert".
Horner said Wheatley's contribution to all of Red Bull's championship successes as team manager and then sporting director "will forever be a marker in our history".
Red Bull says it will announce a new team structure "in the coming weeks".
