Audi have appointed former Formula 1 racer Allan McNish as Racing Director, with the Scot taking charge of trackside operations from the Miami Grand Prix onwards.
The move follows the surprise departure of Jonathan Wheatley from his Team Principal role less than a year after joining; Audi have been reviewing their senior leadership since. McNish is promoted from within the Audi stable and will report to CEO and Team Principal Mattia Binotto.
McNish, who made 17 F1 starts with Toyota in 2002, has been involved in Audi’s motorsport activities for many years and was part of the Formula 1 project from the start. He has held several roles at Audi, including director of coordination for Audi Group Motorsport and Team Principal of their Formula E project. Most recently he led Audi’s Driver Development Programme, a role he will continue alongside his new responsibilities.
As Racing Director, McNish will oversee sporting matters, engineering coordination, driver management, race strategy, garage operations, and on-track media and partner activities.
The Scot is also a highly accomplished endurance racer, with multiple Le Mans 24 Hours victories and a World Endurance Championship title to his name.
“Allan brings an exceptional combination of racing experience, technical understanding and leadership to this role,” said Binotto. “He has been a central part of the motorsport structure of Audi for many years and, in his roles within Audi Revolut F1 Team since its start, has played a key role in shaping our preparation for Formula 1, not least with his work around technical partnerships. This appointment strengthens our trackside leadership at a crucial stage of our project. Allan’s ability to connect all performance-related areas – from sporting operations to driver development – will be fundamental as we continue to build our team.”
McNish added: “It is a privilege to take on the role of Racing Director for Audi Revolut F1 Team: this is a marque that means a lot to me and it is an honour to be able to represent Audi and our partners on the most prestigious stage in motorsports. This is an exciting challenge at a pivotal moment in the history of Audi and Formula 1, and I am looking forward to contributing even more directly to our trackside performance. The project we are building is ambitious, and my focus will be on ensuring that all aspects of our race operations are delivering at their most competitive level and continuously improving. Together with our Driver Development Programme, to which I remain fully committed, my focus will be on implementing the building blocks for our success, under the direction of Mattia and the Board of Directors.”
F1 correspondent Lawrence Barretto notes Wheatley’s exit was a shock and that Binotto had temporarily assumed Wheatley’s duties while focusing on leading Audi’s entry into F1, including the debut of their first Formula 1 power unit. The decision to appoint McNish establishes a more traditional leadership structure, with McNish reporting into Binotto rather than working alongside him.
McNish is well known within Sauber/Audi’s paddock and to the Audi board, making the transition expectedly smooth. His trackside leadership will allow Binotto to concentrate on developing the chassis base in Hinwil and the engine factory in Neuberg as Audi aims to be competitive and target world titles by 2030.