McLaren has officially confirmed the arrival date of James Key as technical director, following a drawn-out fight with Toro Rosso.

The British team announced it had signed the respected designer last summer but Red Bull bosses refused Key's request to leave citing his contract with the junior team which ran until the end of 2020.

Negotiations have been underway since to reach a compromise and, at one stage, even saw Toro Rosso requesting McLaren junior Lando Norris as part of a deal.

However, on Friday both teams released a statement revealing Key will leave Toro Rosso on March 23 and take up his new post in Woking just two days later.

Jody Egginton has also been confirmed as the new technical director at the Italian team and will immediately take over responsibilities following the Briton's departure.

 Key will now join former Porsche WEC chief Andreas Seidl as part of a new-look line-up at the top of McLaren's F1 operation as CEO Zak Brown continues his plan to bring the team out of their current competitive slump.