Zhou Guanyu questions Alfa Romeo’s recruitment of Technical Director James Key
Zhou Guanyu surprised as James Key has been appointed as the new Technical Director of Alfa Romeo Sauber.
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James Key will return to his position as Technical Director of Alfa Romeo, which is owned by Sauber and will compete as the Audi Formula One team starting in 2026. The Briton served a similar position at McLaren until he was relieved of his responsibilities earlier this year. Key is going to start at Hinwil on September 1, replacing Jan Monchaux. In the past, James Key has served as Technical Director at Sauber from 2010 to 2012. With the transfer, Key is reunited with Andreas Seidl, a former McLaren executive who is currently the Sauber Group CEO overseeing the transition to Audi.
Zhou said, “I don’t know what’s going on at McLaren” when asked why he thinks James Key was kicked out of the papaya squad. The Chinese racer commented that although he is not sure why the decision to welcome Key to the team was taken, he is ready to comply with it. He said,“He was a guy at McLaren, when they were struggling, and he brought them back to be race-winning cars and on the podium several times. Andreas takes the decisions — and I am ok with all that!”
Even before Audi acquired Sauber, Zhou Guanyu claimed he was aware of impending changes there, but he did not anticipate a big agreement to be reached so quickly. The 24-year-old said, “Of course I was a little surprised. I think Andreas is trying to build the team in preparation for the arrival of Audi, so I’m happy with whatever Andreas does.”
Related: McLaren F1 sack technical director; bring in former Ferrari man as part of major restructuring
McLaren team engineer James Key induced by Sauber in anticipation of Audi takeover
It is quite evident that James Key’s change of teams from McLaren to Sauber is a result of Seidl’s restructuring efforts in anticipation of Audi’s entry into Formula One with the team in 2026. Key’s appointment, according to Seidl, was a “crucial step” in the procedure. The former McLaren Team Principal said, “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.”
As of now, Alfa Romeo have failed to live up to the expectations of their fans as they are in the seventh spot in the standings, with only 9 points to their name. But in the coming days, it is expected that they will improve with Valtteri Bottas claiming the final spot in the top-10 at the Canadian GP. Now, it remains to be seen how the team manages to climb up the ranks under their new leader Seidl.
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Riddhi Mondal
(1821 Articles Published)