Ex-F1 driver McNish named Audi racing director

McNish has had a long history with Audi, including a celebrated career as a driver

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Former Formula 1 driver Allan McNish has been named racing director of the Audi F1 team.

The move follows the departure of Jonathan Wheatley as team principal last month.

McNish, 56, is a long-time Audi employee who has had a role advising the company's board for many years. The Scot has been involved in the German company's F1 project since its inception.

He will start in his new role at the next race, the Miami Grand Prix on 1-3 May. His responsibilities will include oversight of sporting matters, engineering coordination, driver management, race strategy and garage operations, as well as on-track media and partner activities, a statement said.

McNish is a three-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours, once with Audi's sister brand Porsche and twice with Audi, and he was the 2013 world endurance champion.

He raced in F1 for Toyota in 2002, and was team principal of Audi's Formula E team. He retains his role as the head of the company's young driver programme.

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In his new role, McNish will report to Mattia Binotto, who has been given a new role of chief executive officer and team principal of the Audi F1 team.

McNish's role is the latest in a series of management restructures at the Audi F1 project since it was announced in 2022.

He said: "This is a marque that means a lot to me and it is an honour to be able to represent Audi and our partners on the most prestigious stage in motorsports.

"This is an exciting challenge at a pivotal moment in the history of Audi and F1, and I am looking forward to contributing even more directly to our trackside performance.

"The project we are building is ambitious, and my focus will be on ensuring that all aspects of our race operations are delivering at their most competitive level and continuously improving."

Binotto said: "Allan brings an exceptional combination of racing experience, technical understanding and leadership to this role. He has been a central part of the motorsport structure of Audi for many years and has played a key role in shaping our preparation for F1, not least with his work around technical partnerships."

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