MF1 Racing has announced the appointment of James Key to the position of Technical Director. The 33-year-old Englishman, formerly Technical Co-ordinator, has gained considerable experience during his past eight years of service with Jordan Grand Prix.

Sponsored through university by Lotus Engineering, Key graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nottingham in 1996. Upon completion of his studies, he began his motorsport career with Lotus in 1996, working on their GT car program as a Designer. He entered Formula One with Jordan Grand Prix in 1998 as a Data Engineer and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming Test Engineer in 2000 and Senior Race Engineer in 2002. In 2003, he joined the Aerodynamic Group at Jordan for a season and was then promoted to Head of Vehicle Science towards the end of that year. He was appointed Technical Co-ordinator in 2005.

Colin Kolles, Managing Director of MF1 Racing, stated: "I am very pleased to announce James Key as our new Technical Director. He has been working with the team for several years and has built up an impressive level of experience and knowledge of motorsport. I am sure his organisational skills and innovative ideas will be of great value to us with the ongoing development of our cars in 2006 and beyond."

James Key, Technical Director, commented: "Having gone through a transitional period this year, following the team’s acquisition by Midland, we are now very busy with the design of next year’s car. I am looking forward to the challenges we face next season and there is a great deal of work to be done. This team has a lot of very good people and, given this new opportunity, I am confident we will progress as the year unfolds. Personally, I look forward to the challenge of moving our technical efforts forward and gaining ground on the teams currently ahead of us."