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.
Kick Sauber have confirmed that Alessandro Alunni Bravi will leave his position as Team Representative and Managing Director at the end of January 2025.
After first joining the squad in 2017 as General Counsel and Board Member, Alunni Bravi became Managing Director in 2022 – focusing on marketing, communications, sales and other departments before taking the position of Team Representative in 2023 in all official functions at race weekends and away from the track.
Now the Italian is set to move onto new prokects and admitted in a statement that seeing his journey with the team come to an end has been “emotional”.
The news marks another change for Kick Sauber ahead of their transition into becoming Audi’s works outfit in 2026.
As well as developments in the wider structure, the squad will field an all new driver line-up in 2025, with Nico Hulkenberg joining from Haas and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto making the step up after winning the 2024 Formula 2 Championship.
Since I joined in 2017, I have seen this team grow and change beyond what anyone could have imagined. This organisation went through exciting and difficult times alike, all without ever losing its spirit and its commitment, which is something I find inspiring, and I was proud of being able to represent the team as its public face in the last two years. As I move on to a new project, I want to thank Finn Rausing, all those who put so much trust and faith in me at Sauber and Audi, and all the colleagues I have been working with for the last eight years. This team is a family and has a bright future ahead. Alunni Bravi on the news.
Having worked closely with him in the months since my arrival to Hinwil, I want to pay tribute to Alessandro, a true team player who came to embody the essence of Sauber throughout the years. Alessandro played a wide range of roles within the team, steering it through difficult and exciting times alike. As he moves onto a new venture, the whole company would like to thank him for all his energy and contributions over the years and wish him the best for the future. Mattia Binotto, Chief Operating and Chief Technical Office at Sauber Motorsport.
Emma Felbermayr will be making her F1 Academy debut next season, as Kick Sauber have announced that the Austrian driver will be representing them on the grid this season in her Rodin Motorsport car.
Beginning her racing journey at 7 years old in karting, Felbermayr went on to compete in her first national race in the Micro Class the following year before progression onto the Mini Class and then Junior level.
At 13 years old, she competed in her first international race, finishing runner-up in the 2021 ADAC Ladies Cup. The following year saw her step up into the Senior category, racing in the German championship, WSK races and the World Championship.
Following a rib injury in early 2023, Felbermayr moved into the KZ category. Alongside competing in the German Championship and ADAC Kart Masters, she qualified 23rd overall out of 119 drivers.
As part of her racing programme, the 17 year old will be participating in the 2025 Formula Winter Series and Spanish F4 Championship with Rodin.
I’m proud and thrilled to be joining KICK Sauber F1 Team for the 2025 F1 ACADEMY season. This is an incredible opportunity to take the next step in my racing career and to challenge myself at this exciting level. I’m looking forward to representing the team, growing as a driver, and making the most of the visibility and platform F1 ACADEMY offers. I can’t wait to get started and see what we can achieve together! Felbermayr on the news.
We are delighted to welcome Emma to the team, as she prepares to make her F1 ACADEMY debut in 2025 in our colours. Emma is young, but has already shown her potential, and we are looking forward to seeing her represent us on the international scene from next year. We are also thrilled to be partnering with Rodin Motorsport for our F1 ACADEMY operations, counting on their decades-long experience with junior drivers in several series, and having most recently clinched the 2024 F1 ACADEMY title. This marks the beginning of an exciting journey, and we can’t wait to see what we can achieve together. Welcome to the family, Emma! Mattia Binotto, COO & CTO, Sauber Motorsport.
We’re delighted to welcome Emma to Rodin Motorsport. She has shown great potential and resilience in karting and we look forward to supporting her in her transition into cars with F1 ACADEMY. There will be a steep learning curve ahead but together with KICK Sauber F1 Team I’m confident that our combined experience and resources can give Emma the platform she needs to be successful. I’d like to thank Kick Sauber for entrusting Rodin Motorsport with this important step in Emma’s career. Benn Huntingford, Sporting Director of Rodin Motorsport.
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