Audi appointed Allan McNish as Racing Director to strengthen trackside leadership and operations, assigning him a broad set of race-weekend responsibilities previously handled by team principal Jonathan Wheatley. McNish will report directly to CEO and team principal Mattia Binotto, who will retain overall principal duties while remaining largely factory-based, and Audi said the move centralizes race-day decision-making to streamline the link between the factory and the pit wall.

The appointment takes effect immediately, with McNish scheduled to assume trackside duties from the Miami Grand Prix. He will provide hands-on, on-track leadership and take charge of sporting and performance duties, including trackside engineering, race strategy, driver management, engineering coordination, garage operations and circuit liaison.

McNish, 56, has been with Audi since 2000, ran the manufacturer’s Driver Development Program, led Audi’s Formula E team to the 2017-18 title and is a world endurance champion and three-time Le Mans winner. The change followed Jonathan Wheatley’s abrupt departure on March 20 after ten months in the role, and comes as Audi seeks stability after a difficult start to its rookie F1 season, sitting eighth in the constructors’ standings after three rounds with Gabriel Bortoleto’s ninth place in Australia providing the team’s only points. Audi described the move as part of a longer-term strategy to progress toward championship contention by 2030 while emphasizing continuity and technical leadership.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the Turkish Grand Prix will return to the Formula 1 calendar in 2027 under a new deal he said will last “at least five years.” The agreement, reached with Formula 1 and the Turkish Automobile Sports Federation, was presented at an event attended by Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem. The race is set to be held at Istanbul Park and is listed as the 24th event on a 2027 calendar that Formula 1 has capped at 24 rounds.

Sources said the reintroduction of Istanbul Park comes alongside the return of Portugal’s Algarve circuit and coincides with the Dutch Grand Prix not appearing on the 2027 calendar after its contract expired. The sources said Istanbul Park and the Algarve will replace this season’s rounds at Circuit de Catalunya and Zandvoort, and Circuit de Catalunya is scheduled to return in 2028 under a rotational arrangement. Officials warned the 24-race limit makes further new events unlikely until at least 2028, despite expressed interest from Argentina and Thailand and discussed concepts such as a Bangkok race and a pan-African Grand Prix that have not materialized into contracts.

Istanbul Park is a permanent circuit designed by Hermann Tilke that first joined the world championship in 2005 and last staged a round in 2021. The venue is known for its long, high-speed Turn 8 and its history of memorable races: Felipe Massa won there three times from 2006 to 2008, Lewis Hamilton clinched a record-equalling seventh world title at the rain-affected 2020 race, and Valtteri Bottas won the 2021 event. The 2027 running will be the 10th edition of the Turkish Grand Prix, and Formula 1 leadership publicly welcomed the track’s return.