James Allison joins Mercedes as technical director // Ex-Ferrari chief heads to defending champions
Published by Christine Blachford
The musical chairs at the top of the fastest teams appears to be complete now, with James Allison signing on to champions Mercedes to become their technical director. Allison left the Ferrari squad mid-way through 2016 after a three year stint, but now he will be in charge at Mercedes.
Allison said: “I’m very excited to be getting back to work after this time away from the sport. It’s a massive privilege to be given the trust of a position in a team that has done so spectacularly well in the past three seasons.”
Allison replaces the outgoing Paddy Lowe, who is widely anticipated to be joining Williams, who in turn parted ways with Pat Symonds to leave that vacant seat. Meanwhile, Mercedes appear to have only strengthened their chances of success this year, with Toto Wolff saying: “Our technical team is extremely skilled at every level and at the top of its game after delivering three world championships in a row. James is a sharp engineer and I think we have found the perfect guy, and the right fit with our senior leaders.”
