The Alfa Romeo F1 team has set a "priority checklist" for incoming technical director James Key, at the top of which is simply the task of improving the performance of the outfit's F1 car.
Key left McLaren earlier this year after three complete seasons with the Woking-based outfit and in the wake of wholesale changes to the team's engineering department.
But in June, Sauber – which operates the Alfa team – announced Key's appointment from September 1 as the operation's new technical director, the Briton succeeding Jan Monchaux in the role.
While Key is no stranger to Sauber Group CEO Andreas Seidl with whom he worked at McLaren, the former is also well acquainted with Hinwil, having enjoyed a tenure as technical director for the Swiss outfit in F1 between 2010 and 2012.
Alfa Romeo F1 is enduring a difficult campaign this season, with the team's subdued results year-to-date leaving it just ninth in F1's Constructors standings after twelve races.
Parallel to its efforts in F1, Sauber is also preparing for its integration into Audi ahaed of the German manufacturer's entry into F1 in 2026.
Alfa team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi has clearly defined Key's first order of business upon his arrival at Hinwil next month.
"Priority checklist for James Key will be to improve the performance of the car and to help Andreas Seidl to shape the technical department," Alunni Bravi explained in Spa.
"As you know as a team, we are in a transformation process, and the addition of James Key brings a lot of value to our team, because James has not only been a Technical Director.
"He has been in different roles in the technical level of the teams he has previously been working with.
"So, I expect that he will give the contribution as everybody in the team, that we need to do a step as a team and move forward."
Sauber Group CEO Andreas Seidl with Alfa team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi.
While Key will oversee Sauber's technical department, the Briton will of course answer to Seidl, the man in charge of steering the Swiss outfit towards a hopefully prosperous future with Audi.
"First of all, when we speak about the leadership we speak about Andreas Seidl. He is our leader; he is our group CEO," explained Alunni Bravi.
"I’m one of the people working in this team, as all the other 600 people, try to give my contribution and to support Andreas, and to help him.
"But of course, Andreas is our CEO, he is the one who leads our group and the one who is giving the direction for the future."
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