Key to replace Rampf at Sauber
Date published : 24 Feb 2010 - 15:31:14
Sauber has announced that James Key, who left his post at rival Force India on Tuesday, will take over as its technical director in place of team stalwart Willy Rampf from April 1.Force India had revealed that Key had left its team to pursue new opportunities elsewhere after 12 years at the Silverstone-based squad, with design chief Mark Smith to take over his responsibilities.Less than 24 hours after that announcement Sauber confirmed that Key had chosen to take up a new challenge at its Swiss-based squad, where he will succeed Rampf who the team revealed has decided to leave the Hinwil outfit at the start of April.Key admits he had been hugely impressed by Sauber's infrastructure and believes that, despite the departure of former owner BMW, it is still well placed to enjoy good times in F1.The first time I saw the facilities in Hinwil, I knew straightaway the kind of opportunities open to me there, Key said in a statement. The wind tunnel, the supercomputer, the machine park and the expertise of the team were extremely persuasive. There is significant potential at Sauber, and with the ever-changing world of F1 I think the team is very well placed at present. I am grateful to my old team for the past 12 years I spent with them, but now I very much look forward to starting my new job. I would like to thank Peter Sauber and the team for this great opportunity.Rampf, 56, has made no secret of his desire to scale back his workload in recent years and from late 2008 BMW split his responsibilities with the team's then managing director Walter Riedl.But after a 10-year spell at the head of the team's technical operation, Rampf reckons it is the right time for a new man to take over.When you're technical director of a Formula 1 team, the job comes first and everything else is subordinate to it, he said. I have done my job with a passion for 10 years, but now it's time to hand over the baton. Peter Sauber gave me the chance to enter this league of motor sport and I greatly value all my years spent working with the team.Team owner Peter Sauber is impressed by Key's credentials and believes the 38-year-old will relish the opportunity to take advantage of the team's technical capabilities.Despite his young age, James looks back on more than a decade of experience in Formula 1 and the 2009 car in particular proved quite a revelation, he said. James comes from a private team and knows how to work around a limited budget. With us he will enjoy high-level technical opportunities. Willy and James will be devoting April to the handover.Sauber also paid tribute to long-time colleague Rampf's contribution over his two spells at Hinwil, confirming that he had known about the German's plans to scale back for a long time. I have known about Willy's plans for some time, of course and fully understand his decision, Sauber added.He has achieved great things for our team. I had managed to get him on board as race engineer for season 1994. Then in 1998 he temporarily left the team to pursue his Paris-Dakar Rallye dream and ran BMW's motorcycle involvement a successful interlude, as we know. In 1999 he returned to the fold with the clear aim of becoming Technical Director. It was practically his first Formula 1 car that was out on the grid in 2001, and we finished fourth in the constructors' championship as a privately-run team. We have Willy to thank for a great deal.
