James Allison claims Lewis Hamilton does not have a “systematic disadvantage” at Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton hinted at Mercedes' bias towards George Russell with his recent comments.

James Allison claims Lewis Hamilton does not have a “systematic disadvantage” at Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton and James Allison (via IMAGO)

The Mercedes crew started the 2024 season off in a tumultuous form. Brackley’s struggles in the ground-effect era were quite evident since the season’s start. However, George Russell has outshined Lewis Hamilton on multiple occasions. This led to the fans believing that the chassis of the Silver Arrows were tweaked to provide Russell an advantage. Mercedes’ technical director James Allison has since falsified these rumors.

George Russell‘s performance has been better this season due to one pole position and podium over Lewis Hamilton. Multiple people believed that the chassis was the deciding factor in the performance of the Silver Arrows. However, James Allison mentioned that the claim that Hamilton had a systematic disadvantage during the Canadian qualifying was false.

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If you try to see in these results things that are not there, as if in some way Lewis had a systematic disadvantage on the day of qualifying, this is not true and it is not fair.
James Allison said on Beyond the Grid podcast (H&T: formulapassion.it).

Apart from this, Allison declared that the cars and the power units fitted in them were identical with no difference. Hence, the only difference in the cars was the attitude of both the drivers and the team of engineers behind them. As a result, only the drivers decided the way that the challenger performed over the weekend without the input of the Mercedes crew.

The cars are identical. The use of the engine is identical. If the cars are different in terms of attitude, it is because they are the indications that the team of engineers from both sides of the garage have received.
James Allison added.

James Allison revealed Lewis Hamilton and George Russell had the ‘chance’ to have identical chassis

Lewis Hamilton continued to experiment with new settings with his chassis which inadvertently affected his performance. Meanwhile, George Russell ensured a consistent setting on the chassis that favored him. Regardless, the Silver Arrows had the option to choose the same challenger setup if they wanted it.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton (via IMAGO)
But they have the chance to have identical things if they decide to do it.
James Allison noted.

However, Allison claimed that only on one occasion, did both drivers have a different front wing setup on the car. The reason behind this was that only one part was available for fitting in the chassis. Hence, Hamilton allowed Russell to make the decision over which car the new front wing would be adjusted. Hence, this was the only time when the chassis had to be different due to part shortage.

On one occasion, in Munich, they had a different front wing on the car because we only had one available and we decided that we would mount it as soon as possible and that we had to choose between them. We talked and Lewis said he would leave it to George.
James Allison concluded.

Mercedes has still been attempting to revive any chances of championship contention down the season. The in-season upgrades sported are producing improving performance during recent races. As a result, the entire 2024 season will be spent perfecting the chassis and continue bringing in the best possible upgrades against the rival teams.

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