Jonathan Wheatley once joked about when he ‘knew’ Max Verstappen was going to be a future world champion

F1 Grand Prix of USA - Source: Getty
Jonathan Wheatley and Max Verstappen - Getty Images

Jonathan Wheatley met Max Verstappen when the Red Bull driver was a child, and it did not take long before the Red Bull sporting director found out about the caliber of the little future-star. Perhaps not even two decades later, the Dutch driver has become a multiple F1 world champion.

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In a video that surfaced on X recently, Wheatley opens up about meeting Verstappen when the latter was quite young. He is accompanied by Red Bull personnel including Gianpiero Lambiase, Verstappen's race engineer, as he tells a story of his encounter with the little son of Jos Verstappen.

"The first time I met Max was in Spa, he was about that height (gesturing a few feet above the ground to show little Verstappen's height), he turned around and walked straight into a plate glass window. And at that point, I knew he was going to be a future world champion," Wheatley said.
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Max enjoyed the perks of having access to the paddock even when he was not yet a racing driver. His father, Jos is a renowned former F1 driver and because of him, little Verstappen could freely walk around the paddock.

Now years down the line, but at only 26 years of age, Max Verstappen is a three-time Formula One World Champion with Red Bull.

Verstappen grew up under the umbrella of Red Bull Racing. He was groomed by the Red Bull Junior Team, joined F1 under Toro Rosso, and eventually when he arrived at Red Bull in 2016, he began working with Wheatley directly.

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Wheatley served in several important positions at Red Bull for 18 years and has worked with the Dutchman for nearly a decade. However, their union at the team is going to be over very soon.


Jonathan Wheatley to exit Red Bull in a shocking move

As per the latest developments, Jonathan Wheatley is all set to leave Red Bull next year. He will leave his Sporting Director role at the end of the season, serve a gardening leave in 2025, and join Audi (currently Stake F1 team / Kick Sauber).

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Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley - Getty Images
Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley - Getty Images

Wheatley is expected to take on the role of team principal on the German team from 2026 onwards. The announcement came almost a week after the Hinwil-based team decided to part ways with Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffmann, and brought in former Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto.

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With Binotto and Wheatley at their helm, Audi is already making huge progress on the F1 scene. On the other hand, Wheatley's decision to part ways months after Adrian Newey brought clouds over Red Bull.

Rob Marshall, Adrian Newey and now Jonathan Wheatley's back-to-back departures from the team point toward a dismantled future at Red Bull amid the team's slow progress in the 2024 F1 season. It will now be interesting to see if they can find someone to fill Wheatley's shoes any time soon.

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Edited by Aayush Kapoor
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