Audi has promoted Allan McNish to Racing Director, with the former Formula 1 driver taking charge of trackside operations from the Miami Grand Prix onwards. The internal appointment follows the surprise departure of Jonathan Wheatley from his Team Principal role less than a year after joining, and comes as Audi has been reviewing its senior leadership.
McNish will report to CEO and Team Principal Mattia Binotto. He moves up from roles within Audi’s motorsport structure, most recently leading the Audi Driver Development Programme, a position he will continue alongside his new responsibilities. His previous Audi positions include director of coordination for Audi Group Motorsport and Team Principal of Audi’s Formula E project.
A Scot with 17 F1 starts for Toyota in 2002, McNish is also a highly accomplished endurance racer, boasting multiple Le Mans 24 Hours victories and a World Endurance Championship title.
As Racing Director, McNish will oversee sporting matters, engineering coordination, driver management, race strategy, garage operations, and on-track media and partner activities. The appointment restores a more traditional leadership structure at the track, with McNish reporting into Binotto rather than operating alongside him.
Binotto praised McNish’s combination of racing experience, technical understanding and leadership, saying his long involvement in Audi’s motorsport programmes and work on technical partnerships have been central to the team’s F1 preparation. McNish described the role as a privilege and said he was focused on ensuring all aspects of race operations are competitive and continuously improving while remaining committed to the Driver Development Programme.
F1 correspondent Lawrence Barretto noted Wheatley’s exit was unexpected and that Binotto had been covering Wheatley’s duties as he concentrated on Audi’s F1 entry, including development of the first Audi power unit. With McNish established in the paddock and known to the Audi board, the transition is expected to be smooth and will allow Binotto to concentrate on developing the Hinwil chassis base and the Neuberg engine factory as Audi pursues competitiveness and world-title targets by 2030.