James Key to join Alfa Romeo F1 as Technical Director
7th June 2023James Key is set to join Alfa Romeo as their new Technical Director after his exit from McLaren earlier this year.
Key will join Alfa Romeo, on September 1, 2023, in the final season which the Sauber team will be branded as the Italian car manufacturer – ahead of their transition into the Audi works team in 2026.
On his appointment, Key will take over the position of Technical Director which will see him replace Jan Monchaux.
Following the announcement, Key said:
“I am delighted to be returning to Hinwil to work with old, and new, colleagues at Sauber; I have very fond memories of my time there before.
“There is a huge amount of work ahead of us, but I am confident that every single member of our team working in Hinwil will have the commitment, determination and hunger to get us to the top.
“We know it will require time, effort and perseverance, and the dividends from this work will only arrive over the next two seasons and beyond, but we have a journey ahead of us and a roadmap to follow which I am eager to get started.
“I am grateful to Andreas for the confidence he has placed in me and look forward to repaying his trust and working closely with him on the challenges and ambitions ahead.”
Sauber has described Key’s appointment as a ‘statement of intent’ as Sauber prepares to become a works team in 2026.
This appointment will help shape how Sauber’s F1 operations work in the years to come and fits into Andreas Seidl’s, Sauber Group CEO, strategy which is to create a clear roadmap for the team to move forward.
However, this will not be the first time Key has worked for Sauber as the former McLaren employee has previously represented the Hinwil squad as their Technical Director when the team were known as Sauber from 2010 to 2012.
During this tenure, the C31 – designed by Key – went on to secure four podiums at the hands of Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi, and almost won a rain-affected Malaysian Grand Prix in 2012.
Welcoming Key back to the team, Seidl said:
“I am delighted to welcome James back home to Hinwil as he joins us to shape the future of this team.
“James’s appointment is a crucial step on this journey: he has an outstanding amount of experience in the sport, not just as Technical Director, but also in various other roles within the technical organisation of a team.
“He will lead the transformation process of the technical side of the team, giving us the tools and direction we need to tackle the future.
“I also want to thank Jan for his precious contribution to taking Sauber to where it is now, following our most successful season in a decade, in which we climbed to sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship.”
Key has an extensive career in F1 with more than 25 years in the sport, which started at Jordan Grand Prix of which he obtained a variety of engineering roles before he became the sports youngest Technical Director at 33 years of age.
The incoming Technical Director retained his role as the team became Midland F1, Spyker F1 and Force India before he moved over to Toro Rosso and McLaren – which he accrued several podiums and a 1-2 victory at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.
That’s all for the article: James Key to join Alfa Romeo F1 as Technical Director!
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