“The experience of living in Switzerland has been one of the most delightful aspects of this role,” shares Jonathan Wheatley, the guiding force behind the Sauber team, in an interview with Autosport.
“I am thoroughly enjoying my time here. We’ve settled in Zug [a picturesque town nestled by a lake at the base of the Alps], conveniently located near Zurich. My wife and I often find ourselves in the city during the evenings, marveling at the fact that this is not a temporary getaway but our permanent residence.”
Wheatley’s passionate endorsement of the Swiss way of life resonates with many who have made the move. However, this sentiment sometimes clashes with the prevailing views within the F1 community.
For quite some time, the widely held belief has been that Sauber’s location poses a significant challenge to their success, due to its perceived remoteness. Alongside Ferrari and Racing Bulls, it stands as one of the few teams with operational headquarters situated outside of the United Kingdom.
While it might be easy to dismiss this perspective as narrow-minded and overly patriotic, there’s a certain degree of logical reasoning to it. For individuals residing within the Oxfordshire-Buckinghamshire-Northamptonshire corridor, transitioning between different teams – even across various racing disciplines – can be achieved without the need to relocate. In contrast, Hinwil, Maranello, and Faenza necessitate a more substantial commitment in terms of residency.
This setup isn’t for everyone, as evidenced by Racing Bulls establishing a supplementary technical facility on the same campus as its parent team, Red Bull, in Milton Keynes. Similarly, Sauber has recently inaugurated a similar facility at Bicester Motion. Although these moves allow both teams to tap into the rich talent pool of ‘Motorsport Valley,’ they may not be entirely conducive to fostering a strong esprit de corps.
Sauber Motorsport Technology Centre at Bicester Motion
Photo by: Sauber
“When the chance to join the Audi F1 venture presented itself,” Wheatley recalls, “I found myself completely engrossed in the racing aspect, the team dynamics, and the overall vision.
“The reality of life in Switzerland hadn’t truly registered until I experienced it firsthand. I must say, it has surpassed all expectations.”
Lessons from Toyota
Nevertheless, the prospect of relocating can deter some potential team members. Similarly, the weight of history looms large: major automotive corporations have a tendency to falter when attempting to manage an F1 team through bureaucratic, corporate protocols. A prime example of this lies in the convergence of two critical issues: geographical constraints and management styles, embodied by Toyota.
The Japanese-owned team holds the unfortunate distinction of having spent the most money in F1 without achieving a single victory during its eight-year tenure. Numerous individuals who were part of the Cologne-based headquarters reported that senior management devoted more time and resources to managing the expectations of the parent company and concocting dubious justifications for underperformance than they did to exploring ways to improve the cars’ speed.
Anyone familiar with corporate settings will recognize the exponential growth of management layers, with managers begetting more managers, and self-proclaimed leaders endlessly droning on about ‘flexible frameworks’ while secretly drafting a job posting for a senior vice-president of stationery oversight.
Another common aspect of corporate life is that the further an outpost is from headquarters, the more prone it becomes to insular behavior, marked by personal rivalries and internal conflicts. This appeared to be the situation unfolding at Sauber under the previous administration, prompting Audi to appoint Andreas Seidl as CEO in early 2023. Then, just over a year later, Oliver Hoffmann was reassigned from his position as chief technical officer at the car manufacturer to a somewhat ill-defined role within the F1 team.
Oliver Hoffmann, Audi AG Formula 1 General Representative, Andreas Seidl, CEO Audi F1 team, and Nicola Buck, BP SVP marketing
Photo by: Audi
Amidst lackluster performance on the track, whispers of internal discord began to surface. By July 2024, both Seidl and Hoffmann had been relieved of their duties, with Mattia Binotto, formerly of Ferrari, stepping in as chief operating officer and chief technical officer. Wheatley was appointed as team principal, although he had to wait until the third race of the season to officially begin, due to gardening leave restrictions.
The driving force behind these changes was Audi’s chief executive, Gernot Doellner. Reports had circulated as early as January 2024 that Doellner was displeased with the rate of technological advancement within the road car division and was contemplating Hoffmann’s removal. Therefore, Hoffmann’s transfer to Sauber in March, coinciding with Audi’s decision to fully acquire the team rather than just a 75% stake, appeared to be a rather unusual move.
This scenario seemed to encapsulate all the potential pitfalls of a car company entering the F1 arena: a senior executive is ousted from the main board, given a token position within the F1 operation with the expectation that he will eventually leave, but instead, he becomes assertive and attempts to transform the non-job into a functional area of influence. Firings ensue, followed by new leadership. This cycle then repeats.
So, when Doellner stood alongside Binotto at a press conference during the Italian Grand Prix and declared, without a hint of irony, “We are fully aware of the need to shield this project from corporate processes,” many in the audience could only roll their eyes.
The true test would be whether Binotto and Wheatley would be allowed to carry out their roles unhindered or, should the team’s performance continue to disappoint, another wave of dismissals would soon follow. It’s worth noting that, despite Sauber’s weak start to the season, no such purges occurred, and the team’s results have shown improvement.
Wheatley’s career path includes stints at Benetton/Renault and Red Bull, both of which successfully blended independent spirit with corporate oversight. Consequently, he understands how to navigate this landscape.
Mattia Binotto, Sauber
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
“Of course, there are certain established procedures that must be followed,” he acknowledges. “They [Audi] are becoming more familiar with us, and we, in turn, are gaining a better understanding of them.
“Ultimately, Gernot Doellner has referred to us as a speedboat, responsible for navigating the waters of Formula 1, which is our area of expertise. We enjoy the full backing of the board, which is fantastic, and I’m thoroughly enjoying our current approach to our work.
“Considering the circumstances that led Mattia and me to be here today, you can imagine the various discussions we had along the way. However, it was Gernot’s inspiring vision, which he shared with me 12 months ago, that ultimately convinced me to join.
“These are highly intelligent individuals who fully grasp that this particular realm cannot be governed by the same principles applied across the wider group.
“Nonetheless, we remain representatives of the brand. The most critical aspect, and where the most significant collaboration occurs, is ensuring that we communicate and represent the brand appropriately.”
In Woking, Andrea Stella has demonstrated the potential to transform an existing team into a more competitive force by optimizing the talents of current personnel rather than simply acquiring high-profile ‘superstars’. McLaren has recruited staff from other teams, notably Rob Marshall, Red Bull’s chief engineering officer, who has joined as chief designer. While the job title might not seem like a promotion, one of his recognized strengths is his ability to facilitate collaboration between departments, rather than imposing his own individual stamp on specific aspects of the car.
Andrea Stella, McLaren
Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images
David Sanchez came over from Ferrari but was subsequently permitted to depart once Stella’s finalized engineering structure did not offer the kind of elevated position he had anticipated. In F1, a hub of innovation, the key is identifying the structural framework that yields optimal results.
Elsewhere on the grid, Aston Martin previously hired and then dismissed a senior technical figure, Dan Fallows, without significantly impacting their results. Perhaps because of having an eager billionaire at the helm, they appear to be stuck in what management literature calls “a transitional phase.”
Wheatley has stated that he needs to gain a deeper understanding of Sauber’s operations before taking decisive actions, but he is certainly familiar with the characteristics of a winning organization. Bringing in prominent figures sends a very different signal to staff than it does to shareholders. For those working on the factory floor, it suggests dissatisfaction and a feeling of being undervalued.
“It needs to be a carefully considered balance,” Wheatley stresses. “There are particular areas where rapid progress is required, and perhaps those areas need fresh leadership. However, I haven’t observed a great many of those since my arrival.
“It’s equally important to identify the future stars within the organization and nurture their potential. Continuously seeking talent from outside can create an undesirable culture.
“To establish ourselves as a top-tier Formula 1 team with strength and depth across all areas, we need to recruit individuals at a young age. We must provide them with training and instill in them the ethos of the Audi F1 team.
