Kick Sauber confirm Wheatley’s start date

Kick Sauber have confirmed that Jonathan Wheatley will officially become their Team Principal on April 1st, 2025.

Wheatley, who has long served as Red Bull’s Sporting Director, was announced in the position last August, but the Swiss team stopped short of communicating an exact start date.

Now, that date has been finalised for the beginning of next month, with Wheatley’s race debut to follow at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Wheatley will lead the management team at Sauber Motorsport AG alongside Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technical Officer, Mattia Binotto.
In their respective positions, both Binotto and Wheatley will report directly to Gernot Dollner in his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sauber Motorsport AG.

It comes as German car manufacturer Audi prepare to take over Sauber’s entry and make it their own works operation from the 2026 season onwards.

Wheatley’s career in F1 started with Benetton in the early 1990s where he climbed the ranks to become Chief Mechanic and remained there through the team’s Renault guise.
He joined Red Bull’s new team in 2006, achieving significant success – including six Teams’ and seven Drivers’ titles – as Sporting Director.