Sauber Audi F1 Makes Bold Move in Hiring James Key

• James Key joined McLaren in 2019 and the team progressed, fronting the midfield, including a 1-2 finish at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.

• Key’s recruitment was overseen by Andreas Seidl, who joined Sauber as its CEO at the start of 2023.

• He is tasked with readying the organization for its alliance with Audi.

Sauber Motorsport has hired James Key to front its Formula 1 technical team with an eye on Audi’s arrival as its strategic partner from 2026.

Sauber currently competes in Formula 1 with Alfa Romeo branding, but the carmaker will leave after 2023 ahead of Sauber becoming Audi’s works team under new engine regulations in 2026.

Key made his name working for midfield teams, having begun at Jordan (now Aston Martin) in 2005, producing aerodynamically tidy cars on a relatively tight budget. That included a spell at Sauber from 2010-12, where his cars claimed podium positions, and he was recruited by Red Bull to hold the technical director role at Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri).

Key joined McLaren in 2019 and the team progressed, fronting the midfield, including a 1-2 finish at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix. But McLaren stumbled under the technical rules package introduced in 2022 and his departure was announced in March. McLaren opted to shake up its entire technical leadership structure and split Key’s former role into three divisions.

Key was clearly held responsible for some of McLaren’s shortcomings but its deficiencies were deeper-rooted than one individual.

Key has now landed at Sauber Motorsport and will take up the role of Formula 1 technical director at the start of September. Key will replace Jan Monchaux, who has been the team’s Technical Director since mid-2019.

Alfa Romeo started brightly in 2022—leading to its strongest sequence of results in several years—but it has since faded and holds a lowly eighth in this year’s championship.

Key’s recruitment was overseen by Andreas Seidl, who joined Sauber as its CEO at the start of 2023, and is tasked with readying the organization for its alliance with Audi. That effectively means building up a midfield/backmarker outfit with the facilities, personnel, and technical structure—and mindset—for when it aligns with a major manufacturer that has front-running ambitions.

Key and Seidl spent four years together at McLaren from 2019-22, when Seidl held the role of Team Principal, prior to his move to Sauber.

Key outlined that he is joining Sauber “at one of the most critical junctures of its long history” amid its tie-up with Audi.

“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,” he said.

It is the first major technical leadership decision made by Seidl since his arrival.

“James will lead the transformation process of the technical side of the team, giving us the tools and direction we need to tackle the future,” said Seidl.