Becoming an F1 team boss, curry clubs and Guinness World Records – Getting to know the real Jonathan Wheatley

Jonathan Wheatley is the next team boss to face our Getting to Know quickfire question series. From starting out as a mechanic to becoming an F1 chief, and setting world records to avoiding karaoke at all costs, Kick Sauber’s new leader shares his story in the video player above and the transcript below…

Can you describe yourself in three words?

Optimistic, passionate and positive!

What made you fall in love with F1?

I mean, I’ve always loved motorsport, but I can remember at the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, my father knew the chief mechanic at Ferrari, and he lifted me up, I don’t know how old I was, sat me in one of the Ferraris and started the car… I think from that point I was always going to be in F1.

When and where did you first drive something?

I think the first thing I drove would have been a Deavinsons Sprint go-kart at Hoddesdon, Rye House. I would have been nine years old, I suppose, and I can still remember accelerating out of the pits now!

And how many times did it take you to pass your driving test?

I think I was a bit too confident the first time… I passed the second time.

When was the last time you cried with laughter?

The last time I cried with laughter was probably… I’m part of a curry club in the UK with a whole load of motorsport friends, and we’re regularly laughing until we cry!

Who’s your best friend inside the paddock?

My best is Alan Permane in the paddock. I’m also very close with Steve Nielsen and a lot of other people that I’ve worked with for a long time. I guess driver-wise, Jean Alesi.

Going back to that Renault era of course…

Yeah, we all sort of grew up together, got to understand our roles together, and it was a pretty challenging battle to become a World Championship team there.

Which three F1 personalities past or present would you invite to a dinner party and why?

This is easy! It would be James Hunt, Niki Lauda and Ayrton Senna.

James Hunt has come up pretty much every time…

I think James and Niki together is the magic, isn’t it?

What’s the best holiday you’ve been on?

I think last summer, we stayed at a friend’s house in the south of France. All the kids came over with the various girlfriends at various points, and it just felt [like] a wonderful way of reconnecting with your family in the middle of the season.

A chance to switch off from the busy world of F1…

Yeah. I wouldn’t do the drive down there again – it took 16 hours! But it was a lovely holiday.

If you had to take one driver and team boss to a desert island with you, who would it be and why?

It would be Flavio Briatore and Jean Alesi, because if you had seen them together in period, it was… Honestly, I laughed every single day!

What is it about Jean and that connection with him?

I don’t know. We just hit it off straight away. He’s an incredible personality, so passionate. I just wish we’d won a race with him. I worked with him as his front-end mechanic at Benetton and our friendship endures to this day.

Who’s your favourite team boss in F1 history?

I would say Flavio was extraordinary, but I still have this massive admiration for Ron Dennis. I think what he achieved and what he built at McLaren was extraordinary, and I think he’d be right up there.

How many languages can you speak? And are there any others you would like to learn?

I heard somebody say the other day that I can speak 12 languages as long as they’re all English! (Laughs). I’m really enjoying my time in Switzerland, it’s a beautiful country. I’d like to immerse myself more in the culture and I really do, over the next few years, want to see how much German I can pick up.

We did see your social post about driving over to Switzerland to start work at Kick Sauber… How special was that?

I drove over with our dog, Lola. Emma [my wife] flew over a couple of days later and we meet in Zug, where we’re living now. I drove a classic car over and it wasn’t without its challenges! It was quite a journey on the way over there, but it was an experience that I’ll never forget. I have to say, the thing that surprises me the most is that I hadn’t realised just how wonderful life in Switzerland was going to be. I genuinely thought it’s part of the change, part of something or other and I’ll adapt, but honestly I’ve just loved it from the moment I was there. My morning runs now are by a lake looking at mountains!

What’s your favourite film and TV show of all time?

Do you know, it changes so much, because I watch so much and I think we all consume so much stuff. But at the time, I think Pulp Fiction was an amazing movie – I don’t think any of us had seen anything quite like it. I’ve [also] really enjoyed Yellowstone.

What would your karaoke song be?

If you want to see me completely out of my comfort zone, it’s asking me to sing anything! I think what I used to do was anything by Tom Jones, because everyone else joined in and you could be drowned out. (Laughs).

What’s the strangest gift you’ve ever been given by a fan?

I can remember that we had to help out Lotus who had a fire in their pit building in Malaysia a few years ago. Lotus that is now Alpine. We ran down there with some fire extinguishers and helped them put it out. I thought it would be quite funny to send them an invoice for our fire extinguishers and the services, so I sent them an official invoice for it. I think that got out into the media, and then a fan sent me a fireman keyring. I still have it actually! When we moved to Switzerland, I opened the box and thought, ‘Yeah, I’m bringing that!’

Who do you think would win a race out of all the F1 team bosses?

I think unquestionably it would be me! (Laughs).

Full confidence…

You’ve got to be confident about everything you do, haven’t you?

We’ve got quite a few racers in the team boss circle, haven’t we?

Obviously I’m joking, because a lot of them have spent a lot of their time behind the steering wheel, and I’ve spent most of my time on the other side of the pit wall! While it was my ambition to win championships on the track, it ended up being on the pit wall.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Genuinely, I think the best advice is to treat others how you’d like to be treated yourself. I like to think that the amount of friends I have in the paddock and the amount of friends I have out of the paddock are all as a result of having that fundamental advice.

Which other job do you wish you could try for a day? I know you’re only a few weeks into this job…

I think if I could have any job in the world, and I could be as talented as Ayrton Senna, then I’d like to be an F1 driver!

What’s your proudest moment in F1 so far?

I think the very first Guinness World Record pit stop that we achieved at Red Bull. The time is probably second order priority now, but to get that group of people and to feel that energy in the team, that was a standout point for me. There’s so many championships and race wins, but I’m a real believer in the power of a team and that’s an example of it.

We see pit stops on TV and they’re over in a couple of seconds, but how much work goes into producing something like that?

Including the driver, you’ve got 22 people involved in a pit stop. Everyone thinks differently, everyone’s got different pressures at home, everyone’s got something they’re worried about or something they’re not sure about. To have all of those people click together and have an amazing two seconds is one of life’s most extraordinary things, and I think one of the most extraordinary things in sport.

Where do you want to be in five years’ time?

I’d like to be here, at Audi’s F1 project. I’m so happy and I’m so excited about this project – I just want to be here!

Lots to look forward to…

Yeah. I just want to enjoy every second of it, and I am!