On Saturday we had the official confirmation of James Allison’s return as technical director of Mercedes, resuming the role after two years working on other technical projects in Brackley. This means that Mike Elliot will become CTO, leaving the management of a capricious and difficult to fully exploit W14 to his colleague. Formula 1 journalists and experts Roberto Chinchero and Franco Nugnes spoke about this change in a recent video for Motorsport Italia.
The start of the podcast is already impactful: the editorial director, in fact, claims that in reality James Allison has returned to his old role for some time, and that Mercedes has only recently announced it officially. “I think Mercedes started a long time ago with the new W14 project, because there is a drawing time, tunnel time…”, said Franco Nugnes. “The car that we will see at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix has been designed since the winter, and it has already been in the hands of James Allison. The news arrived today, but they made the change some time ago. I think Mercedes will become more aggressive in the second part of the season, chasing Red Bull” – the Italian journalist added.
His colleague Roberto Chinchero continued by pointing out to an interview given by Toto Wolff in Melbourne, in which the Austrian manager confirmed that James Allison was still in his old role. “When asked about James, Toto takes a long break before denying a return. He knew it: the announcement would come shortly, but some details were still missing, especially from Mike Elliot,” said the Italian journalist.
Mike Elliot wanted the change
In fact, news that was reported on Saturday indicated that it was Mike Elliot himself who wanted to take a step back, renouncing his prestigious role. This is due to a human factor rather than a professional one, as the two commentators correctly pointed out. “In that environment you have to be able to handle the pressure, and Elliot has reached a point where he knows how to handle it. Just think that he entered after a winning cycle built by Allison, then he comes in and Mercedes no longer wins. The pressure, even in the media, must be immense”.
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This change underlines a quality of Mercedes: its human value, which goes beyond corporate organizational charts. Roberto Chinchero, in fact, stated: “They tried to go beyond Paddy Lowe, Aldo Costa and James Allison, but they didn’t make it and went back. This means that there are men who cannot be replaced, regardless of what is the organizational structure. Over time you also need to build trust, and all move in the same direction. Just think of the fact that the technical director and the managers of the engine and chassis departments are all ex-Ferrari men, not surprisingly James Allison’s companions. This means that they have established a very good relationship, and it was the Englishman who wanted them to join Mercedes.”
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