Q. What are your first impressions of the team?
James Key: The first impressions are very good. We have an excellent group of people here, and the expertise and the knowledge are at a very high level. And, of course, the facilities are state-of-the-art. There is enormous potential. Everything is here that needs to be here to ensure the team can move forward. On the other hand there is also much work to be done. The team is still recovering from its uncertain situation in the second half of 2009. It requires a slightly new approach to the way certain areas work to make better use of the size the team is now.
Q. Where was your main focus in the first month with the team?
JK: My main focus in the first week was to get around and meet as many people as I could in the technical group to understand where they felt they were, how they operate their departments and how they fit in with other areas. I'm a strong believer that, particularly in a small team, you have to be able to read into how the operation ticks and how it works and fits together. I asked them questions about where they see things heading at present, and what they think their department's strengths and weaknesses are. All that allowed me to piece together a picture of the team.
The second part was to focus on where we are with the current car. The race weekend in China really helped, because I was able to see the car running and talk to the drivers and people at the track in more detail. From all of that I am forming a plan of the way we go forward, which fundamentally is attacking our known weaknesses and investigating areas we don't understand so well yet. The good news is the team is well aware already of some of the deficits that the car has compared to where it should be. I've been able to reinforce that and introduce a few other directions and ideas as well.
Q. What will you change in the short term?
JK: In the short term there is going to be a small restructuring within the technical group, which I have just started instigating. This should allow the team to be more in tune with the smaller organisation it is now, particularly in terms of the efficiency of its operation. In addition to that, we have a plan being developed of what exactly we are going to do this year to attack the known issues we have, and to give ourselves a chance to realise some decent steps later in the season.
Q. What are your plans in the longer term?
JK: There are many things to do in the longer term. One is to adapt the shape of the company according to our budget and goals for the future, as well as possible regulation changes. Part of the restructuring I will be doing will be designed so we have a better capability within the current size of our technical organisation to soak up longer-term changes to regulations. This will also allow us to start work on next year's car much earlier than perhaps would be the case in the past. So, for example, I expect to sit down and start the 2012 car design process before this year has finished.
Q. Is it realistic to move up the grid in the course of the 2010 season?
JK: I believe it is, because we now know what we need to do with the current car. However, for some issues there are no quick fixes. Some current characteristics of the car need to be developed to produce new characteristics, which takes time. So we will work as quickly as possible to turn that around. Targets have been set and they are very ambitious. It's certainly possible to move up the grid, but the competition is fierce so we have to do everything we can to develop quicker than they do.
Q. When will you start working on the 2011 car?
JK: Work on the 2011 car has started already. Different layouts are being evaluated, and we have a long list of ideas and things we want to look at. The team has already done quite a bit of background work in various areas to start looking at the implications of the regulation changes we know about for 2011. In addition, we have ideas where we should improve from this year's car. That process is already underway.
I have a schedule in mind of how we need to split the balance between the development of this year's and next year's car, which fits the structure of the team. I think we should gain momentum over the next few weeks. However, much is still subject to any further regulation changes and the tyre situation, which we have to keep an eye on.
We have got a fairly aggressive set of goals for its development to make sure that we meet deadlines, and also have the possibility to investigate as much as we can on the fundamentals of the car at this early stage.
News from Formula One in the Formation Lap.
Showing posts with label James Key. Show all posts
Showing posts with label James Key. Show all posts
Monday, 3 May 2010
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
Key hopes to unlock Sauber potential
Sauber may be experiencing its worst start to a season since it entered Formula 1, but new technical director James Key is optimistic that the team has what it needs to recover the lost ground.
The Hinwil-based outfit headed into the campaign full of optimism after some encouraging performances in winter testing, but the C29 failed to carry through that strong form into the first race, while reliability dramas have also hampered its progress.
Those factors have left Sauber without a point to its name after the first four races - the first time that has happened since 1996 - and have increased the need for Key, who took on his new role earlier this month, to turn things around.
But rather than be downbeat about the situation Sauber has found itself in, Key believes the team is more than capable of making the progress it needs.
"Obviously the pressure is on to see if we can make some steps forward," said Key, whose first race with the team was the Chinese Grand Prix. "That pressure is not just on me, it is on everyone.
"Perhaps the season isn't quite what everyone hoped, but we have to take it a step at a time. Some of it may be that the competition has made more steps that we expected, but we have plans for the future.
"We have some tweaks for the next race and other steps after that. It is just a case of making sure we are optimising ourselves as the small team we are now to hit the big areas of development. There is work to do, but there is no mystery at the moment as to what needs to be done. There is direction, it is just a question of getting there."
Key has conducted a thorough analysis of the operation and car since he joined Sauber, and has seen nothing that has left him unduly concerned. In fact, he is encouraged that he has been able to find obvious areas that need improving.
"The fundamentals are there first of all and I don't think there is anything fundamentally wrong," he explained. "The straightline speed is something that needs to be improved, but the team is aware of that already - and that is just a drag calculation. It is something the team is working on and there are clearly some tenths wrapped up in that.
"There are certainly other things too that we are setting directions on now. I can't go into too much detail, but there are certain things aerodynamically that are slightly different in terms of characteristics in the way the car is to what I would expect or would want to see in a car.
"These are directions that we are working on now to see if we can develop for the future. They are not quick fixes that you can bolt on and it works the next day, but they are development directions for the future. There are things I have identified, but I don't think there are any mysteries about the car at the moment - we will have to see how things develop. But there are certain things we have to try and work out.
"It is a very neat car, it is extremely well built and the quality for me is extremely good. There are also some neat features on suspension and those sorts of areas. There are some areas that are different to what I am used to, there are areas where development direction will form around, and I think a few areas that need a bit of work at the moment. It is a nicely put together car."
Although one of Sauber's main concerns at the moment is reliability, with the team having suffered engine and hydraulics problems in the first races, Key believes the team must continue to balance curing those issues with bringing more speed too.
"Naturally reliability is a big priority and the team is working on that very well," Key added. "It's been unfortunate because in winter testing there wasn't any hint of there being a reliability issue, but now we are keeping a close eye on it.
"But you have to do that in tandem with performance, because as soon as the reliability is there you want to make sure that you are in a position to score points."
Key believes one of the main challenges over the next few weeks is in getting the team's new structure working at its best - on the back of BMW's withdrawal and the subsequent cutting down of manpower in Hinwil.
"There is a little bit of work to do in making sure that we take what the team is now and gluing it together in the right way, after what went on over the winter and the uncertainty there.
"There are some departments that were much bigger before and now are just one or two people, and if there are several of those then it is a question of putting them together and helping the team reform a bit as a smaller operation than it has been used to. But as I have said before, the fundamentals are there."
Key is hoping to agree a development plan with the team within the next fortnight - to take into account updates for this year and the creation of next year's C30.
"We have the balance with next year's car as well to consider, like everyone. As a small team it is always more difficult because your resources are only so big, but there are plans emerging now.
"We have some tweaks for Barcelona but over the next couple of weeks a clearer picture will emerge of which events we will try to hit with updates, and how we want to pitch them. There is a preliminary plan already."
Although Key could be forgiven for feeling a tinge of regret having left Force India at a time when it has made another big step forward, he actually feels his old team's situation is a cause for extra motivation for himself and his new employers.
"I feel very proud actually," he said about Force India's form. "It is a team I was involved with for a long time and in some ways I wished I hadn't pushed them so hard over November and December, because obviously it worked! But I think, good for them. I am glad it worked for them and it is a pretty good target for us. We have to aim to beat them and aim for that level.
"For us, there is this middle group of teams and Force India and Renault are leading that right now. But there is no reason why we cannot catch them up. It may take a bit of time, but we can do that - and then it's the top four after that."
The Hinwil-based outfit headed into the campaign full of optimism after some encouraging performances in winter testing, but the C29 failed to carry through that strong form into the first race, while reliability dramas have also hampered its progress.
Those factors have left Sauber without a point to its name after the first four races - the first time that has happened since 1996 - and have increased the need for Key, who took on his new role earlier this month, to turn things around.
But rather than be downbeat about the situation Sauber has found itself in, Key believes the team is more than capable of making the progress it needs.
"Obviously the pressure is on to see if we can make some steps forward," said Key, whose first race with the team was the Chinese Grand Prix. "That pressure is not just on me, it is on everyone.
"Perhaps the season isn't quite what everyone hoped, but we have to take it a step at a time. Some of it may be that the competition has made more steps that we expected, but we have plans for the future.
"We have some tweaks for the next race and other steps after that. It is just a case of making sure we are optimising ourselves as the small team we are now to hit the big areas of development. There is work to do, but there is no mystery at the moment as to what needs to be done. There is direction, it is just a question of getting there."
Key has conducted a thorough analysis of the operation and car since he joined Sauber, and has seen nothing that has left him unduly concerned. In fact, he is encouraged that he has been able to find obvious areas that need improving.
"The fundamentals are there first of all and I don't think there is anything fundamentally wrong," he explained. "The straightline speed is something that needs to be improved, but the team is aware of that already - and that is just a drag calculation. It is something the team is working on and there are clearly some tenths wrapped up in that.
"There are certainly other things too that we are setting directions on now. I can't go into too much detail, but there are certain things aerodynamically that are slightly different in terms of characteristics in the way the car is to what I would expect or would want to see in a car.
"These are directions that we are working on now to see if we can develop for the future. They are not quick fixes that you can bolt on and it works the next day, but they are development directions for the future. There are things I have identified, but I don't think there are any mysteries about the car at the moment - we will have to see how things develop. But there are certain things we have to try and work out.
"It is a very neat car, it is extremely well built and the quality for me is extremely good. There are also some neat features on suspension and those sorts of areas. There are some areas that are different to what I am used to, there are areas where development direction will form around, and I think a few areas that need a bit of work at the moment. It is a nicely put together car."
Although one of Sauber's main concerns at the moment is reliability, with the team having suffered engine and hydraulics problems in the first races, Key believes the team must continue to balance curing those issues with bringing more speed too.
"Naturally reliability is a big priority and the team is working on that very well," Key added. "It's been unfortunate because in winter testing there wasn't any hint of there being a reliability issue, but now we are keeping a close eye on it.
"But you have to do that in tandem with performance, because as soon as the reliability is there you want to make sure that you are in a position to score points."
Key believes one of the main challenges over the next few weeks is in getting the team's new structure working at its best - on the back of BMW's withdrawal and the subsequent cutting down of manpower in Hinwil.
"There is a little bit of work to do in making sure that we take what the team is now and gluing it together in the right way, after what went on over the winter and the uncertainty there.
"There are some departments that were much bigger before and now are just one or two people, and if there are several of those then it is a question of putting them together and helping the team reform a bit as a smaller operation than it has been used to. But as I have said before, the fundamentals are there."
Key is hoping to agree a development plan with the team within the next fortnight - to take into account updates for this year and the creation of next year's C30.
"We have the balance with next year's car as well to consider, like everyone. As a small team it is always more difficult because your resources are only so big, but there are plans emerging now.
"We have some tweaks for Barcelona but over the next couple of weeks a clearer picture will emerge of which events we will try to hit with updates, and how we want to pitch them. There is a preliminary plan already."
Although Key could be forgiven for feeling a tinge of regret having left Force India at a time when it has made another big step forward, he actually feels his old team's situation is a cause for extra motivation for himself and his new employers.
"I feel very proud actually," he said about Force India's form. "It is a team I was involved with for a long time and in some ways I wished I hadn't pushed them so hard over November and December, because obviously it worked! But I think, good for them. I am glad it worked for them and it is a pretty good target for us. We have to aim to beat them and aim for that level.
"For us, there is this middle group of teams and Force India and Renault are leading that right now. But there is no reason why we cannot catch them up. It may take a bit of time, but we can do that - and then it's the top four after that."
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