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  "path": "/not-satisfied-by-fernando-alonsos-limbs-aston-martins-accursed-car-also-consumes-team-principal",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-20T17:46:27.000Z",
  "site": "https://defector.com",
  "tags": [
    "Racing",
    "adrian newey",
    "asston martin",
    "aston martin",
    "Fernando Alonso",
    "formula 1",
    "jonathan wheatley",
    "the classic aston martin doom spiral",
    "continued",
    "crisis",
    "statements of non-denial",
    "confirmed",
    "terrorized by Honda engines"
  ],
  "textContent": "At this point, Aston Martin's continued crisis seems like it cannot possibly worsen, which is why the team, just two races into the Formula 1 season, is restructuring upper management. There were reports on Thursday that Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey would step down from his position to focus on the technical elements of the car, with Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley being Aston Martin's first choice to step into the position. Less than 24 hours after both teams issued statements of non-denial, Audi confirmed that Wheatley would be leaving the team, with immediate effect, for \"personal reasons.\" It is true that money and proximity to home (Audi is based in Switzerland, while Aston Martin is based in Wheatley's native England) can classify as personal reasons, though Aston Martin has yet to officially confirm Wheatley's appointment.\n\n\"Disastrous\" is already a generous descriptor for the current state of Aston Martin. For the viewing public and driver Fernando Alonso—now on his second round of being terrorized by Honda engines, after a nightmare stint at McLaren from 2015 to 2018—the fact that the team, and billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll, have poached Wheatley away from another organization can shed either a positive or even more negative light on the situation.\n\nTaken negatively, the car, which already appears to be undriveable, must _really_ be abysmal for team leadership to be pressing the panic button so soon, and so aggressively. Wheatley only started at Audi in 2025, and will not undergo the customary gardening leave between jobs; the amount of money required to tempt Wheatley away from a comfortable position, to get him to step immediately into a catastrophic scenario, and to convince Audi to release him from his duties, is no doubt eye-watering. Whether an upgrade to the team principal position stands any chance of resolving the team's fundamental and most urgent problem—a car and engine package that do not work—is unclear.",
  "title": "Not Satisfied By Fernando Alonso’s Limbs, Aston Martin’s Accursed Car Also Consumes Team Principal"
}