Mercedes has announced a new technical structure that sees James Allison take a new role as Chief Technical Officer.
The Briton joined the Brackley-based team as Technical Director in 2017, shortly after leaving Ferrari, but from July 1 will step down from day-to-day management of the F1 technical operation, with Mike Elliott promoted to the position.
In the newly created CTO role, Mercedes say Allison will “turn his energy instead to help the team meet the strategic challenges of the sport’s next era, and continue to work closely with the technical leadership at both Brackley and Brixworth to help ensure that the team always has the right capability to meet its needs.”
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This as Mercedes try to combine the development of their 2021 car, as a championship fight with Red Bull appears on the cards, while also switching focus to the new regulations coming into effect for 2022.
“Since joining Mercedes in 2017, James has been an exceptional technical leader for our team, and he has made an enormous contribution to our performance,” team boss Toto Wolff commented.
“He combines huge passion and determination with detailed expertise and exceptional moral character.
“We have known for a while that his time as Technical Director would be coming to an end this year and I am delighted that we have been able to shape this new role to keep him within our motorsport family; he will be an important sparring partner for me in the next years and I know that we still have much to achieve together.”
Explaining his decision to step back, Allison said: “I firmly believe that people have a shelf life in senior roles in this sport, and I have chosen to step away from my role as Technical Director in order to pass on the baton at the right time for the organisation and myself.
“I have enjoyed four and a half wonderful years as Technical Director, and it has been a special privilege to lead the technical effort of the team in that time.
“It is a great pleasure to be succeeded by Mike, an exceptional engineer in a tremendously strong group of senior leaders in the team. We will benefit from the freshness that he will bring to the role.
“I hope I can continue to make a useful contribution across a new sphere of activity in my role as CTO, with a focus on increasing our capability across the board and supporting Toto with the major strategic challenges we face in the near future.”
As for his successor, Mike Elliott has been a part of Mercedes since 2012, holding the role of Technology Director since 2017.
“It has been a great pleasure and privilege to work for James earlier in my career at Renault, and for the past four years at Mercedes,” he commented.
“His track record in the sport speaks for itself, and he has been a fantastic teammate and leader for me during that time.
“They are big shoes to fill and I am delighted that we will be able to call on his expertise in his new role as CTO. On a personal level, it is an amazing opportunity to become Technical Director of a team like Mercedes, and I must thank Toto and our company for trusting me to make the step up to this new role.
“It is an incredible privilege to be part of this team and I know that the leadership strength at every level through the company will be vital to our future success. I can’t wait to get started and to tackle the many exciting technical challenges ahead of us in the next months and years.”