Nico Hulkenberg Discovers Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley’s Audi Departure via Text Message from Mother During Simulator Session

Nico Hulkenberg reveals the "shock" of finding out Audi boss Jonathan Wheatley was leaving through a text from his mother while he was in the simulator.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 26, 2026, 11:35 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from PlanetF1

A Surprising External Notification of Internal Change

In a peculiar turn of events at the Hinwil-based squad, veteran driver Nico Hulkenberg found out his boss was leaving not through an internal briefing, but via a personal text message. While engaged in a simulator session last Thursday, Hulkenberg checked his phone to find an article sent by his mother announcing Jonathan Wheatley's departure from Audi. The driver admitted to being shocked by the news, noting that he "found out together with the world" rather than through pre-emptive conversations with senior management.

The Brief Tenure of Jonathan Wheatley at Audi

Jonathan Wheatley’s exit comes almost exactly one year after he joined the former Sauber team to oversee its transition into the Audi factory project. His first race in charge was the Japanese Grand Prix just one year ago, making his departure on the eve of the 2026 Suzuka weekend particularly symbolic. While the team officially cited personal reasons for the split, paddock reports suggest that friction between Wheatley and F1 project leader Mattia Binotto played a significant role in the Englishman’s decision to seek an exit after only two races under the full Audi rebrand.

Maintaining Operational Structure Under Binotto

Despite the sudden leadership vacuum at the principal level, Hulkenberg remains confident that the team’s trajectory is unaffected. He emphasized that a Formula 1 organization is larger than any single individual and pointed to Mattia Binotto’s continued presence as evidence of a stable command structure. According to Hulkenberg, the team’s development plan and race weekend operations remain "on target," as the foundational plans were established well before the recent management shift.