FEBRUARY 3, 2012

Sauber Technical Director departs

James Key, Sauber's Technical director, has left the Swiss F1 team.

James Key, Sauber's technical director has left the Swiss F1 team.

A new technical director has not been named, the team saying it will currently be led by the combined efforts of the Aerodynamics, Design, Performance and Operations department heads.

Team Principal, Peter Sauber said: "A qualified team shares the overall technical responsibility. 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."

James Key: "I've enjoyed the past two years working at the Sauber F1 Team. 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."