Toro Rosso technical director James Key will remain with the team after agreeing a new contract with Red Bull.
Having joined the team back in 2012, he has since spent the past five years working at Toro Rosso to develop their team and oversee technical operations at Red Bull’s junior team, including designing the cars and bringing in new personnel at both their Italian base in Faenza and British base in Bicester.
“I am delighted to continue with Toro Rosso and remain part of the Red Bull family,” said Key. “This is a team which I have great respect for and have thoroughly enjoyed working with for the past 5 years; now I look forwards to continuing our project into the future.
“STR is unique, facing the challenges of being spread over two countries and fulfilling the roles of both a team in its own right and an important part of the Red Bull driver programme: they are challenges that the team takes in its stride and, whilst doing so, continues to grow and improve year on year.
“Most importantly, the people I have had the pleasure to work with at STR are second to none: professional, ambitious and focussed, they have all worked incredibly hard to improve the team’s performance and will continue that hard work with the same dedication and optimism in the coming years too.”
Since Key’s involvement with Toro Rosso, they have continued to move up in the constructors’ standings. In 2012 they finished ninth scoring 26 points, currently the team lie in sixth place with 39 points just two behind Williams and are pushing to overhaul the former world champions.
Team principal Franz Tost added: “Formula 1 is a team sport, but one in which an individual can still make a difference. So far, in his time with us, James has proved that he can indeed make that difference, leading the technical side of the operation.
“Not only has he been adept at producing chassis-aero packages that are well regarded throughout the paddock, he has also shown the management skills necessary to get the most out of all the various departments that work together both here in Faenza and in Bicester. I am therefore delighted that James will be with us for the foreseeable future to continue this fruitful process.”
