Toto Wolff blatantly disregards speculation of James Allison’s return to fix the Mercedes car Lewis Hamilton hates
James Allison joined Mercedes in 2017 and was appointed chief technical officer in 2021
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Wolff, Hamilton and Allison
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff took to the media to clarify the role of James Allison within the team. The Brit had taken on the same role of chief technical officer with INEOS Britannia Americas Cup team, with INEOS owning a third stake in the F1 team. Mercedes has struggled to challenge rivals with W14, and the team has limited hope of better results this season.
Wolff recently admitted that the team got the car design wrong. The team’s star driver and 7 times World champion Lewis Hamilton has been a vocal critic of the new design. He claimed that the car’s design was holding them back, and they could have been better if they had listened to the input he gave on design. Amidst this uncertainty, speculation arose of James’ return to F1 to fix W14.
Wolff explicitly stated that Allison’s role doesn’t extend beyond key discussions held at the team, along with long-term strategies. He insisted, “He is not involved. He plays an active role when long-term team strategies are discussed, but nowadays, he devotes his time to other activities such as the America’s Cup project and other programmes aimed at innovation.”
Toto also emphasized James’ importance to the organization, despite splitting his time between the two projects. His role in the team did not go understated, with Wolff assuring, “James, for sure, as a technical director in the past, has a big record and is a people’s person. He’s somebody that is still very important for the organisation.” With the team struggling with respect to performance, it would seem plausible for Allison to return to his role. However, it seems the arrangement has not changed, and Mercedes will continue development with the current team available to them, despite rumors.
The Silver Arrows make a mediocre start to 2023
Mercedes has endured a substandard start to the new F1 season, which is a surprise for the second year running. The team last produced a competitive car in 2021 and managed to secure the Constructors’ Championship. However, the new aerodynamic and chassis regulation changes introduced in 2022 have caused them to falter.
Throughout the 2022 season, including pre-season testing, the car was miles off its main competitor Red Bull. With both drivers struggling to get to grips with the car until mid-season, the team was written off for the year and could compete well enough only to secure P3 in the Constructors’. They were also a major victim of porpoising, an issue they failed to avert successfully like several other competitors. They were on the podium regularly enough after a few upgrade packages but only managed to secure a single win.
Their poor performance followed them in 2023, where raw pace and reliability were once again their downfalls. They seem unable to compete with the likes of Red Bull and Aston Martin. Mercedes currently stand at P3 in the Constructors’ standings, 9 points off of second and a staggering 67 points off first. They secured a podium in the recent Australian Grand Prix, where they showed a great improvement in contrast to the first two weekends.
For a team so accustomed to domination, this drop in performance is a hard pill to swallow for the team from Brackley. However, the season is still fresh, and there remains time for developmental breakthroughs and to mount a strong comeback. This is definitely a possibility for a team with experience and such high quality in all aspects.
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Justin P Joy
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