Formula 1 in 2026 has not been short on drama.
With a new era of cars following an overhaul of power unit and aerodynamic regulations, F1 has had a year’s worth of headlines from just two race weekends.
Already this season, Oscar Piastri has failed to start both grands prix, McLaren did not have any driver start in China, Kimi Antonelli became the youngest grand prix pole sitter in history, and Mercedes is a dominant force again — for now.
More drama for Oscar Piastri, and F1 history made in China
Meanwhile, the action on track has been exciting, Max Verstappen is outspoken in his dislike of the new era of cars, and war in the Middle East has shortened the championship from 24 weekends to 22.
With all of that to focus on, arguably the most intriguing story heading into this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix involves the pit wall of two backmarkers.
In an F1 team, the role of team principal is vitally important. The team principal oversees the day-to-day operations of the squad, is the face and spokesperson of the team and often is the key decision-maker.
The role of team principal has been in the news for Audi and Aston Martin since the Chinese Grand Prix, as one team makes a change while the other says they do not have a team principal in the traditional sense.
Here is a breakdown of what has happened since the Chinese Grand Prix, and what it may mean for Audi and Aston Martin going forward.
Rumours swirl that Aston Martin is making a change
If you were hoping for stability and longevity in a job, team principal at Aston Martin would not have been the role for you.
Aston Martin has had four team principals since January, 2022.
Speculation over Adrian Newey’s roles at Aston Martin have dominated headlines. (Reuters: Hollie Adams)
The role this season has been filled by legendary designer Adrian Newey, who surprisingly took over from Andy Cowell, who himself moved into a role of chief strategy officer with a focus on the relationship between the team and Honda.
Newey was brought into Aston Martin last year in the role of managing technical partner, which he still maintains, to be in charge of car design as Aston Martin strives to go from midfield battler to title contender.
It was a great acquisition for Aston Martin. Cars designed by Newey have gone on to win a combined 26 constructors’ (14) and drivers’ (12) world championships.
F1 fans have seen the new era in all its chaotic and thrilling glory
So it came as a surprise when Newey also took over the team principal duties ahead of this season.
But 2026 has been a horrid year for Aston Martin to date, and the main issue is their power unit.
Currently, in the first year of their partnership with Japanese manufacturer Honda, the relationship is off to a very rocky start.
The Honda power unit is a step behind other manufacturers in performance, and its reliability is a big concern.
The power unit vibrates horribly, and it is so bad that it permeates throughout the car and has raised fears that driving for too long will cause injury to the driver’s hands.
Neither Lance Stroll nor Fernando Alonso have completed the grand prix in Melbourne of Shanghai.
Aston Martin drivers ‘risk permanent nerve damage’
When Newey, in what was his second grand prix as team principal, was not in China, the rumour mill went into overdrive.
Media reports speculated Newey, who is also a minority owner of the Aston Martin team, was going to relinquish the team principal role and focus all his energy on developing the car.
Aston Martin released a statement, as reported by several news publications, trying to hose down the speculation.
“The team will not be engaging in media speculation about its senior leadership team,” Aston Martin said in a statement.
“Adrian Newey continues to lead the team as team principal and managing technical partner.”
But that statement did very little to quell the speculation. If anything, the reporting increased as Jonathan Wheatley was touted as a potential replacement.
Wheately, however, was team principal of rival Audi.
Wheatley leaves Audi with immediate effect
Jonathan Wheatley has parted ways with Audi. (Reuters: Hollie Adams)
Just one day after Aston Martin tried to hose down speculation about Adrian Newey as team principal, the man rumoured to be his replacement parted ways with Audi.
Wheatley joined the team in 2025, when it was still Sauber, ahead of Audi’s takeover of the Switzerland-based outfit.
The Briton had spent 18 successful years at Red Bull as the team’s sporting director, and was brought in to be team principal for Audi’s first season in 2026.
But after one full year as Sauber and just two race weekends as Audi, and with speculation continuing to swirl about Aston Martin’s team principal role, it was announced Wheatley would leave his post.
“Due to personal reasons, Jonathan Wheatley will depart the team with immediate effect. The team thanks Jonathan for his contribution to the project and wishes him the best for his future endeavours,” an Audi statement read.
Aston Martin owner makes a public statement
Wheatley’s sudden departure from Audi only intensified the speculation surrounding Aston Martin.
After giving a statement that attempted to hose down the rumours, the man speculated to be Aston Martin’s preferred choice as team principal had become available.
Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll. (Reuters: Hamad I Mohammed)
It led Aston Martin’s owner to release a statement, clarifying the role Newey has in the team.
“With the current speculation surrounding Adrian Newey’s role in our team, I want to take this opportunity to set the record straight,” Stroll said.
“As executive chairman and controlling shareholder, I would like to reaffirm that Adrian Newey is my partner and an important shareholder. He is AMR’s managing technical partner, and he and I have a true partnership built on a shared vision of success for the company.”
The statement from Stroll, unlike the one released a few days earlier from the team, did not specify that Newey was Aston Martin’s team principal.
Instead, Stroll would continue in his statement to claim that Aston Martin is unlike other teams in F1, where they do not subscribe to the traditional position of a team principal.
“We do things differently here, and while we don’t currently adopt the traditional team principal role that you see elsewhere — it is by design,’ Stroll’s statement continued.
“As the most successful engineer in the history of the sport, Adrian’s primary focus is on the strategic and technical leadership where he excels. He is supported by a highly skilled senior leadership team to deliver on all aspects of the business, both at the campus and track-side.
“We are regularly approached by senior executives of other teams who wish to join Aston Martin Aramco, but in keeping with our policy we do not comment on rumour and speculation.”
What happens next for Audi and Aston Martin?
Audi had announced Wheatley’s successor to the role of team principal at the same time as his departure.
Mattia Binotto, the current head of Audi’s F1 project, will now assume the responsibilities of team principal.
Binotto joined the then-Sauber team in 2024 and was Ferrari’s team principal from 2019 to 2022.
“Since joining at the helm of the project in 2024, Mattia has been in charge of the transformation of the team as Audi prepared for and ultimately entered F1 as a chassis and power unit manufacturer,” Audi said in a statement.
“The team’s future structure will be fully defined at a later stage as the organisation continues to adapt to the evolving environment of Formula 1.”
As for Aston Martin, it appears everything will continue as is for this weekend’s action in Japan.
Even if they did wish to bring in Wheatley, as had been heavily speculated, that would more than likely need to wait a while.
Wheatley will almost certainly be on garden leave for a period of time, a common practice in F1.
Likely, a more pressing issue for Aston Martin this weekend will be completing as many laps as possible.
Aston Martin is significantly down on track time thus far with these new cars, curtailed by the Honda power unit issues.
Finishing the grand prix would be a significant milestone as this is Honda’s home race, competing on a track that Honda owns.
When is the F1 Japanese Grand Prix?
The Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix, the third round of the 2026 championship, will be held on Sunday, March 29.
ABC Sport will have a live blog of the grand prix, starting from 2pm AEDT.
This is the start time for the Japanese Grand Prix in your state or territory.
4pm AEDT: NSW, Victoria, ACT, Tasmania3:30pm ACDT: South Australia3pm AEST: Queensland2:30pm ACST: Northern Territory1pm AWST: Western Australia