James Key was Sauber’s technical director but he decided to leave the team in order to take “a new role back in the UK”, what that role wound be it was not specified.
Key has not work long for Sauber (just under two years) and he get there after leaving Force India where he worked since 1998 by the time when the team was still called Jordan. One can say that Key came to Sauber in a bad moment because he arrived when BMW has decided to withdraw from Formula1 and Sauber were downsizing, yet he remain and after almost two year of working in Switzerland James Key confirmed that he will return to UK.
"I’ve enjoyed the past two years working at the Sauber F1 Team," Key said. "It has been a very intense and interesting time, in which we had to manage the transition from a much larger team to a smaller one, and everybody handled that very well. I think the team is now well set for the future and I wish it the very best. I have been offered a new role back in the UK, which I decided to accept."
Peter Sauber, the principal thanked Key for he’s contribution to the team and to the new C31 car design, he also added that Key’s responsibilities will be overseen by the heads of the aerodynamics, design, performance and operations departments.
"A qualified team shares the overall technical responsibility," Sauber said. "This structure has proved to work well at other racing outfits. Over a period of almost two years, James has accomplished a lot for our team. Especially in the difficult transition period from a manufacturer team into a private enterprise, he contributed significantly to ensure the team regained stability. We would like to thank him for his efforts and wish him all the best for his future."
