James Key talks about M16

Following the usual non-stop, anxiety-loaded 48 hours leading up to the completion of a new Formula 1 car, the first product of MF1 Racing – the Toyota-powered M16 – was finally revealed to the world on February 3rd.

With the possible exception of the drivers who will race it, nobody was looking more forward to the car’s unveiling than Midland F1 Technical Director James Key. He joined the team (then known as Jordan Grand Prix) back in 1998, but this is the first car that he has been responsible for from start to finish.

“We went through a transitional period last year with the change of ownership,” says Key. “We’ve had a very short period to get this car designed and manufactured, and with quite a few people in the company who are doing it for the first time. I think as an effort, it’s been absolutely superb, and the whole team has worked incredibly hard.

“I’m very pleased with all aspects of the mechanical side. On the aerodynamic side, we’ve made very good progress, which is an important step toward becoming more competitive. We have to be realistic – it’s not going to move us right to the front of the grid, at least not immediately – but I think we can close the gap quite a bit. It’s all relative, of course. While I’m pretty confident we’ve made a step forward, we'll have to wait and see how far everyone else has come.”

Because last year’s car was based on the 2004 model, the team has, in effect, had to make a two-year step with the new car.

“It is a completely new car. We learned a lot from the EJ15B, and that has been used to develop the M16, although they are very different beasts. Obviously, the V8 is a new situation for all the teams, and packaging that into the car changes the way you approach certain areas of the car, as does the fact that we’re going back to tyre changes. So those things have entailed changes to the car’s architecture and we’ve also got quite a different front end to the car, as will become apparent a few races in.

“The gearbox is completely new and the suspension is quite different at the rear. We’ve used the opportunity to move as much of the volume forward so that the bodywork can be brought in closer.”

Tidying up the rear of the car reflects the shift of emphasis from downforce to efficiency. This winter, all teams have tried to make up for the loss of straight-line speed created by the new engine rules.

“We set ourselves some aero efficiency targets. It’s not as simple as reducing rear wing to give you less drag – you won’t go any faster if that's all you do, so you’ve got to develop in a more efficient way. We set those targets early in the design process, and we’ve achieved them.”

The M16 is one of the last definitive 2006 cars to appear, but Key is confident there will be enough time to get into shape for the first race in Bahrain on March 10-12.

“We’ve already run the rear end in the hybrid car, which includes the major reliability parts like the gearbox and rear suspension, and that went well. So far, there are no fundamental problems to speak of, and we’ve gotten a lot of confidence from that. We’ve taken a lot of care with things like cooling, which can knock you out if you’re not careful. I’ve no doubt that there will be teething problems with little things, but I don’t think there’s going to be anything significant.”

Of course, development will be ongoing, and the team has plans to introduce new parts as soon as possible.

“Because of the time constraints and the way we’ve had to catch up, we know that we still need to address certain area of the car. There’s a lot of work being done on the aero side and constant gains being made there, so we’ll probably be looking at some pretty significant updates during the season that I think will lead to quite a different-looking car by the time we're finished. We’ve also got many ideas on the mechanical side, so we're going to be very busy.”

The MF1 Toyota M16 will complete its shakedown running at Silverstone on February 4th before being taken to Spain for a four-day test at Jerez beginning on February 7th.