PODCAST: McLaren's James Key on working with Ricciardo and Norris – and his plans to take the team back to the front

How did James Key go from being a Minardi-obsessed engineering fan to becoming one of the most respected technical chiefs in the F1 paddock? That’s what we’re exploring in this week’s episode of Beyond The Grid.

Key is currently ensconced as McLaren’s Executive Director, Technical – and the British engineer starts out by giving a full and frank account of the team’s tough start to 2022, where he’s candid enough to admit to host Tom Clarkson that McLaren were “woefully underprepared” for the problems they encountered at Sakhir.

BEYOND THE GRID: Check out the archive of our podcast here

But with the team seemingly back on an even keel, Key also discusses the steps taken to claw back performance. Later in the chat, he goes on to look back at his storied career, beginning with Jordan in the late 90s under the tutelage of Gary Anderson, before becoming Technical Director at Midland – at the tender age of just 33 – followed by moves to Sauber, Toro Rosso and, finally, to McLaren.

Get a fascinating insight into life at the top of the technical tree in Formula 1 from one of the paddock’s most eloquent communicators either in the audio player above – or by clicking here to listen on your preferred podcasting platform.