Jonathan Wheatley

Jonathan Wheatley (born 7 May 1967) is a British Formula One mechanic and team manager. He is currently the sporting director at the Red Bull Racing Formula One team.^[1]

Jonathan Wheatley
Born	(1967-05-07) 7 May 1967 (age 56)
Nationality	British
Citizenship	British
Occupation	Sporting Director
Employer	Red Bull Racing

Career

Wheatley began his motorsport career at Benetton as a junior mechanic in the early 1990s. He rose through the ranks at Enstone to become the chief mechanic from 2001 until 2006 when he left for Red Bull Racing.^[2]

Red Bull Racing

Wheatley's role in the team is important and includes ensuring that the team is operating within the FIA sporting regulations, monitoring communications, and supervising Red Bull's pit crew, widely regarded to be among the best in Formula One.^{[3][better source needed]}

Red Bull's pit crew broke the then world record for fastest Formula One pit stop during the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix timed at just 1.82 seconds, beating the previous time of 1.88 seconds set in the 2019 German Grand Prix also by Red Bull.^[4][5][6] The record stood until the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix where it was beaten by McLaren with the time of 1.80 seconds.^[7]

Wheatley tries to think through all possible scenarios, and how the team could react to them, before an event.^[8]

References

1. "Jonathan Wheatley Biography". Red Bull Racing. from the original on 17 November 2021.
2. "Renault Chief Mechanic Jonathan Wheatley on the podium". Motorsport Images. 3 July 2005. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
3. Walthert, Matthew (21 March 2014). "Can F1 pit stops get any quicker". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
4. "60 Seconds with Jonathan Wheatley - Red Bull Racing Formula One Team". Red Bull TV.
5. Chachra, Tanish (12 July 2020). "Fastest F1 Pitstop: Which team holds the world record of Fastest F1 pitspot".
6. "2019 DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award - F1 Race Results". formula1.com.
7. "WATCH: McLaren set new F1 pit stop record with spectacularly quick tyre change in Qatar". formula1.com. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
8. Kisby, Cambridge (8 February 2024). "Jonathan Wheatley: F1 mechanic to Red Bull team principal in waiting?". Motor Sport Magazine.