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Jonathan Wheatley is encouraged by what he sees at Team Sauber and has set realistic, yet aggressive goals going forward ahead of the team’s transition with Audi.
After nearly two decades with Red Bull, Wheatley took over the role of team principal at Sauber in April of this year.
Wheatley’s hiring comes as Sauber prepares to transform into the Audi F1 team, where he is tasked with overseeing the transition and using his extensive experience to build a championship culture.
We spoke with Wheatley at the Las Vegas Formula One GP a few weeks ago to get his thoughts on the future of the team as it makes its big transition with Audi next season.
What changes do you feel like you can implement immediately to help change the culture at Sauber/Audi?
“Not all changes are immediate. Some take some time. I have a huge amount of experience. I’ve been in the business a long time. I’m encouraged by what I found here. But we’re on a journey from becoming a small team to becoming a world-class Formula One team with Audi. There are stages in that journey along the We’ve made some quite quick gains. I think you can see the team performance has increased over the course of the year. So I think things have been quite positive.”
From your experience, what are the attributes of a winning team?
“We have a mindset, we have a culture in a team. We’re winning as part of racing every weekend. I think in order to do that, you need to have strength and depth in the team. So if somebody has to miss a race for some reason, you have somebody equally talented able to step into that role. And that’s the journey that we’re on. The big teams, the teams we’re racing against, have what I call strength and depth through the organization. And what we need to do is we need to be recruiting, bringing in new young talent, training in the business, and getting ourselves in a position where we’re strong and able to compete at the highest level 24 times a year.”
Talk to me about your drivers, and what excites you about them?
“Well, if we look across the garage, it’s two completely different drivers. We have Nico Holkenberg. Tremendous experience. Really cool in the high-pressure situation generations. He’s been driving in Formula One for a long time. I think in Abu Dhabi, he will be in his 250th Grand Prix. And he brings with him a calm and knowledge, and an experience. And on the other side of the garage, and he’s super fast as well, by the way. And on the other side of the garage, we the future of the business. We have incredible talent in Gabriel Porteletto, very, very wise head on young shoulders, building up pace beautifully during a tricky Grand Prix like this. And he will deliver his fastest lap on the last lap in the World Cup.”
What are your expectations with Team Audi in the next 5-10 years?
“We’re not here to mess around. Our plan is to challenge for championships at the end of the decade, and that’s the path that we’ve set ourselves. It’s an aggressive target. It seems like a long way away, 2030, but in Formula One terms, it’s right here, right in front of us. And I’m really excited about the journey, and I feel that we’re making great strides at the moment.”