Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley has left the team with immediate effect, following reports that Aston Martin had approached him to become their team principal. The departure comes after Mattia Binotto will take over the responsibilities of team principal in addition to his role as head of the Audi F1 project. This follows a third management restructure in less than two years at Audi. Wheatley will have to serve a period of 'gardening leave' before joining another team, the length of this will need to be negotiated between himself, Audi and potential employers. Aston Martin has not confirmed their interest in Wheatley, but owner Lawrence Stroll has offered him an offer to run the team under managing technical partner Adrian Newey.