Audi's Formula 1 team has named Allan McNish as its racing director with immediate effect. The three-time Le Mans winner will take on trackside duties from next week's Miami Grand Prix. He assumes responsibilities previously held by Jonathan Wheatley, who departed unexpectedly in March.
Audi F1 CEO Mattia Binotto announced the appointment after taking on the team principal title himself following Wheatley's exit. Binotto, who plans to remain mostly factory-based to focus on development, stated, 'For the future, I think we are not looking for a new team principal. I will keep the role, but I will need someone to support me at the race weekends.' He emphasized the need for trackside leadership during race weekends. McNish will report directly to Binotto and manage F1 weekends from a sporting and performance perspective, including engineering, strategy, and driver management. McNish, a world endurance champion and former Audi Le Mans driver, has deep ties to the brand. He previously led the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler Formula E team and now heads Audi's driver development program. He also served as a test driver for McLaren in F1 and raced for Toyota in 2002. He will continue mentoring Audi's F1 Academy drivers. Binotto praised McNish, saying, 'Allan brings an exceptional combination of racing experience, technical understanding and leadership to this role. This appointment strengthens our trackside leadership at a crucial stage of our project.' McNish responded, 'It is a privilege to take on the role of racing director for Audi Revolut F1 Team. This is an exciting challenge at a pivotal moment in the history of Audi and Formula 1.'