F1: James Key excited to take over as Alfa Romeo's technical director

James Key, formerly of McLaren, has been appointed as the new technical director of the Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team.
Starting on September 1st, he will succeed Jan Monchaux in this role.

Sauber Motorsport CEO Andreas Seidl, Key's former boss at McLaren, believes he is the ideal person to lead the team into the Audi era.

Key is familiar with the Hinwil operation as he previously served as technical director from 2010 to 2012, overseeing the development of the C31 car, which achieved four podium finishes in 2012 with Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi.

Earlier this year, Key left McLaren as part of a restructuring under new team principal Andrea Stella.

"I am looking forward to leading the technical side of the team at one of the most critical junctures of its long history as we head towards a new and exciting future," he said.

"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."