James Key: McLaren's tech mastermind

McLaren technical director James Key is one of the youngest tech chiefs in Formula One. He’s very bright, he’s super-organised and he’s ultra-competitive, all attributes that he’s using to drive the team back to the top of the sport. In this episode, James opens up to Tom Clarkson about McLaren’s difficult start to the 2022 season, when their cars finished 14th and 15th in the Bahrain Grand Prix, and how the team pulled together in the days that followed to improve the MCL36. Only three races later Lando Norris finished third at Imola. James also gives a fascinating insight into what it’s like to work with McLaren drivers Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, and how they're adjusting to the new 2022-spec cars, and he hints at what we can expect from them as the season unfolds. We also hear about James' journey to F1, the technological advances he's been a part of, the highs, the lows and most importantly: what the future holds for McLaren.

:
Related episodes from the BTG archive:

Lando Norris

Zak Brown, McLaren CEO
Steve Nichols, Engineer

Alain Prost
Mika Hakkinen


This episode is sponsored by:

Formula 1 Eyewear: Check out their Red, Gold and Trackside Collections of eyewear with their at formulaeyewear.com

Shopify: visit shopify.com/beyondthegrid for a FREE fourteen-day trial and get full access to Shopify’s entire suite of features

Hello Fresh: go to hellofresh.com/grid16 and use code grid16 for up to 16 free meals AND 3 free gifts!