Sauber boss Jonathan Wheatley is confident that the new generation of team principals will act in the “best interest” of Formula 1.
2026 will not only see a completely revamped technical rule-set and new additions to the grid, such as Cadillac and Audi, but also the first full-time seasons for the likes of Alan Permane at Racing Bulls, Steve Nielsen at Alpine, and Wheatley at Sauber.
After Laurent Mekies’ promotion to Team Principal and CEO at Red Bull, former Renault (now Alpine) man Permane took over the reins at Racing Bulls.
Nielsen, who has worked within the upper echelons of the FIA and F1, has been made Managing Director of Alpine.
And Wheatley, who was critical to the Milton Keynes-based squad’s success as its Sporting Director, will lead the rebranded Audi works outfit from next season onwards.
Looking back at his time in the sport, the Briton reflected on the journey of the trio.
“I’m fortunate that I met some incredible people on my journey through Formula 1,” he told Motorsport.com.
“And if I make friends, I tend to keep friends for a very, very long time. So we’ve known each other a long time and it’s just nice to have this group of people around you that you trust absolutely and you’ve been on this journey with, because you share so much experience.
“We all ended up in the sporting [director] group, and now we’ve all ended up in the team principals group, and they’re a great group of people, incredibly talented. We know each other inside out.”
Permane and Wheatley go back a long way, since their time together at Benetton.
“Alan is an established professional who knows what he’s doing, years and years of trackside experience, still with a love and a passion for Formula 1 that we all talk about, shares many of the same values I do,” he continued.
“So, I think it’s a really good move for them, and I’m very, very pleased for him, and very pleased for Laurent Mekies [at Red Bull].
“I’m looking forward to working with Steve Nielsen again as well.”
Wheatley expects support to promote the sport
As team principals, the trio will not only have to represent their respective teams before the F1 Commission and the FIA, but also ensure that they uphold the very fabric of the sport.
To this end, despite the inherent tendency to see other team bosses as rivals, Wheatley is confident that the likes of Permane and Nielsen will keep these notions aside and work in the best interest of the sport.
“We know how to separate our personal relationships from our professional relationships,” he asserted.
“We’ve all worked together on achieving a common goal. In fact, I would say 99 per cent in the best interest of the sport in the sporting group, and I’m absolutely certain that at team principal level we will have the same philosophies, which is, overarchingly, to do the best thing for Formula 1.
“We’ve been together at other FIA groups along the way, and FOTA even back in the day as well, so we understand what’s needed.
“We represent our teams in the best way possible. But if a decision is for the best interest in the sport generally we come around to that, so I’m looking forward to those discussions.”
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