James Key (Formula One)

Last updated

James Key
Born (1972-01-14) 14 January 1972 (age 52)
Chelmsford, Essex, England [1]
Alma mater University of Nottingham (BEng)
Occupation Formula One engineer

James Key (born 14 January 1972) is a British engineer who has worked in Formula One. He is currently the technical director of Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber.

Contents

Education

James Key studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nottingham. Lotus Engineering sponsored him to his degree in 1996. [2] [3]

Formula One career

Key joined Jordan Grand Prix in 1998 spending several years as a data engineer, then became race engineer for Takuma Sato. Following a year in the wind tunnel he transferred to the vehicle dynamics department, eventually becoming the department head during the team's final few seasons as Jordan Grand Prix.

Shortly after the team's ownership transferred to MF1 Racing, he became Technical Director during the 2005 Formula One season following a brief period as Technical Co-ordinator. He was one of the youngest Technical Directors of a Formula One team, at the age of 33 years, along with Sam Michael (born in 1971) who became the technical director of the Williams F1 team at the age of 33 during the 2004 season. Key retained his position during the team's transition through Spyker F1 to Force India F1.

In April 2010 he left Force India to join the Sauber team, replacing Willy Rampf as Technical Director. [4] He remained there for almost two years, before leaving in February 2012 to accept an undisclosed offer with one of the British-based teams. [5]

On 6 September 2012, it was announced that Key had joined Scuderia Toro Rosso as Technical Director, replacing Giorgio Ascanelli. [6]

On 26 July 2018, McLaren confirmed that Key had agreed to become technical director of the team, replacing the ousted Tim Goss. On 22 February 2019, it was announced that Key would join McLaren from 25 March 2019, just after the Australian Grand Prix. [7] He formed a triumvirate with Andrea Stella as Racing Director and Piers Thynne as Production Director, all under Team Principal Andreas Seidl. [8] Key was sacked by McLaren on 23 March 2023 in an organisational change of the team's executive technical director role, replaced by David Sanchez following team dissatisfaction with the initial design and early season performance of their 2023 challenger - the MCL60. [9] [10]

On 7 June 2023, Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake announced that Key would be joining the team on 1 September 2023. [11] He will take on the role of Technical Director again, replacing the ousted Jan Monchaux. He previously held the position of Technical Director under this team under its former name of Sauber in 2013, ahead of their re-branding as the Audi works team in 2026. [4] He will once again be working under Andreas Seidl, CEO of Sauber Group, who had served as Team Principal during the pair's time at McLaren.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pedro de la Rosa</span> Spanish racing driver (born 1971)

Pedro Martínez de la Rosa is a Spanish former Formula One driver who has participated in 107 Grands Prix for the Arrows, Jaguar, McLaren, Sauber and HRT teams. He made his Formula One debut on 7 March 1999, becoming one of 79 drivers to score a point in his first race. He has scored a total of 35 championship points, which includes a podium finish at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodin Motorsport</span> British auto racing team

Rodin Motorsport is a motor racing team based in the United Kingdom. It currently competes in six championships: FIA Formula 2 Championship, FIA Formula 3 Championship, GB3 Championship, F1 Academy, F4 British Championship and Spanish F4 Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sauber Motorsport</span> Swiss Motorsport engineering company

Sauber Motorsport AG is a Swiss motorsport engineering company. It was founded in 1970 by Peter Sauber, who progressed through hillclimbing and the World Sportscar Championship to reach Formula One in 1993. Sauber operated under their own name from 1993 until 2005 and from 2011 until 2018. They were known as BMW Sauber from 2006 to 2010 and as Alfa Romeo from 2019 to 2023 in partnership deals with BMW and Alfa Romeo, respectively. Sauber returned in 2024 as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, and is set to be the Audi works team from 2026 onwards, with the German outfit planning to acquire the Swiss team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Formula One World Championship</span> 60th season of the FIA Formula One World Championship

The 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 63rd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 60th Formula One World Championship which was contested over 17 events commencing with the Australian Grand Prix on 29 March and ending with the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 1 November.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Formula One World Championship</span> 61st season of the FIA Formula One World Championship

The 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 64th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. Red Bull Racing won its maiden Constructors' Championship with a 1–2 finish in Brazil, while Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel won the Drivers' Championship after winning the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. In doing so, Vettel became the youngest World Drivers' Champion in the 61-year history of the championship. Vettel's victory in the championship came after a dramatic season finale at Abu Dhabi where three other drivers could also have won the championship – Vettel's Red Bull Racing teammate Mark Webber, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.

Italian motor manufacturer Alfa Romeo has participated multiple times in Formula One. The brand has competed in motor racing as both a constructor and engine supplier sporadically between 1950 and 1987, and later as a commercial partner between 2015 and 2023. The company's works drivers won the first two World Drivers' Championships in the pre-war Alfetta: Nino Farina in 1950 and Juan Manuel Fangio in 1951. Following these successes, Alfa Romeo withdrew from Formula One.

Formula One sponsorship liveries have been used since the 1968 season. Before the arrival of sponsorship liveries in 1968 the nationality of the team determined the colour of a car entered by the team, e.g. cars entered by Italian teams were rosso corsa red, cars entered by French teams were bleu de France blue, and cars entered by British teams were British racing green. Major sponsors such as BP, Shell, and Firestone had pulled out of the sport ahead of this season, prompting the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile to allow unrestricted sponsorship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Formula One World Championship</span> 62nd season of the FIA Formula One World Championship

The 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 65th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. The original calendar for the 2011 Formula One World Championship consisted of twenty rounds, including the inaugural running of the Indian Grand Prix before the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Pirelli returned to the sport as tyre supplier for all teams, taking over from Bridgestone, marking their return to Formula One for the first time since the 1991 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Fry</span> British motorsports engineer (born 1964)

Pat Fry is a British motorsports engineer. Primarily working in Formula One, he has previously held positions with the Benetton, McLaren, Ferrari, Manor Racing, and Renault/Alpine teams. As of 2023, Fry is the chief technical officer for Williams Grand Prix Engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Formula One World Championship</span> 63rd season of the FIA Formula One World Championship

The 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 66th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 63rd FIA Formula One World Championship, a motor racing series for Formula One cars, recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) – the governing body of motorsport – as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. The championship was contested over twenty rounds, which started in Australia on 18 March and ended in Brazil on 25 November. The 2012 season saw the return of the United States Grand Prix, which was held at the Circuit of the Americas, a purpose-built circuit in Austin, Texas. After being cancelled in 2011 due to civil protests, the Bahrain Grand Prix also returned to the calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Formula One World Championship</span> 68th season of FIA Formula One World Championship

The 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 71st season of Formula One motor racing. It featured the 68th Formula One World Championship, a motor racing championship for Formula One cars which is recognised by the sport's governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. Teams and drivers competed in twenty Grands Prix—starting in Australia on 26 March and ending in Abu Dhabi on 26 November—for the World Drivers' and World Constructors' championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Formula One World Championship</span> 65th season of FIA Formula One World Championship

The 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 68th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 65th Formula One World Championship, a motor racing championship for Formula One cars, recognised by the sport's governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. The season commenced in Australia on 16 March and concluded in Abu Dhabi on 23 November. In the nineteen Grands Prix of the season, a total of eleven teams and twenty-four drivers competed for the World Drivers' and World Constructors' championships. The season was the first Formula One season since 1994 to see an accident with fatal consequences as Jules Bianchi died on 17 July 2015 after spending nine months in a coma following a crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Formula One World Championship</span> 70th season of FIA Formula One World Championship

The 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship was the motor racing championship for Formula One cars which marked the 70th running of the Formula One World Championship. It is recognised by the governing body of international motorsport, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. Starting in March and ending in December, the championship was contested over twenty-one Grands Prix. Drivers competed for the title of World Drivers' Champion, and teams for the title of World Constructors' Champion. The 2019 championship also saw the running of the 1000th World Championship race, the 2019 Chinese Grand Prix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scuderia Toro Rosso STR13</span> Formula One racing car

The Scuderia Toro Rosso STR13 is a Formula One racing car designed and constructed by Scuderia Toro Rosso to compete in the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship. The car was driven by Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley, both of whom were retained by the team after contesting selected events in 2017. The STR13 made its competitive début at the 2018 Australian Grand Prix and is the first car built by Scuderia Toro Rosso to use a Honda engine after the team agreed to end its engine partnership deal with Renault to allow the French manufacturer to partner McLaren.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sauber C37</span> Formula One racing car

The Sauber C37 is a Formula One racing car designed and constructed by Sauber to compete during the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship. The car was driven by Marcus Ericsson and reigning Formula 2 champion Charles Leclerc, who replaced Pascal Wehrlein. The C37 made its competitive début at the 2018 Australian Grand Prix and uses a 2018-specification Ferrari engine. This was the last car to be raced under the Sauber name as they were renamed as Alfa Romeo for the 2019 season, although the team's structure has remained unchanged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andreas Seidl</span> German motorsport engineer and manager

Andreas Seidl is a German motorsport engineer and manager. He was previously the chief executive officer of Sauber Motorsport, the team principal of McLaren and the team principal of the hybrid Porsche LMP1 program.

Jan Monchaux is a French and German Formula One engineer.

Luca Furbatto is an Italian Formula One engineer. He is currently the engineering director at the Aston Martin Formula One team.

Giorgio Ascanelli is an Italian automotive engineer who has worked for several years in Formula 1. He is currently the technical head of Brembo, a supplier of Formula 1 brakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kick Sauber C44</span> Formula One racing car

The Kick Sauber C44 is a Formula One car designed and constructed by Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber to compete in the 2024 Formula One World Championship. The car is driven by Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, both in their third year at the team. Although featuring significant design differences to its predecessor, the Alfa Romeo C43, the C44 has exhibited consistently poor performance.

References

  1. ↑ "F1, James Key sarà nuovo direttore tecnico Alfa Romeo dal 1 settembre". La Gazetta Dello Sport. 7 June 2023.
  2. ↑ "The will to win - careers advice to get ahead - University of Nottingham - The University of Nottingham". www.nottingham.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  3. ↑ „Alumni James Key (Mechanical Engineering, 1996)“
  4. 1 2 Beer, Matt (24 February 2010). "Key takes over as Sauber technical boss". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications . Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  5. ↑ Noble, Jonathan (3 February 2012). "Technical director James Key to part company with Sauber". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications . Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  6. ↑ "Key replaces Ascanelli at Toro Rosso". www.formula1.com. 6 September 2012. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  7. ↑ Beer, Matt. "Toro Rosso: Key to join McLaren as F1 technical boss after Melbourne".
  8. ↑ "Stella promoted in McLaren restructure". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  9. ↑ Noble, Jonathan (23 March 2023). "Key out, Sanchez] in as McLaren restructures F1 team". Motorsport.com.
  10. ↑ "McLaren Formula 1 team announces organisational changes". www.mclaren.com. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  11. ↑ "James Key joins Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake as Technical Director". www.sauber-group.com. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.