Wolff happy that Allison remains involved: 'Important sparring partner for me'

James Allison will be stepping down from his role as technical director at Mercedes as of July 1. He will however remain involved with Mercedes in a new role as Chief Technical Officer, something team owner Toto Wolff is very happy about.

Important sparring partner

Wolff and Allison have worked together at Mercedes since 2017. "James has been an exceptional technical leader for our team, and he has made an enormous contribution to our performance: he combines huge passion and determination with detailed expertise and exceptional moral character," Wolff said in a Mercedes press release.

That Allison would step down from his role as technical director had been known to the team for some time. "I am delighted that we have been able to shape this new role to keep him within our motorsport family," Wolff revealed. "He will be an important sparring partner for me in the next years and I know that we still have much to achieve together."

Next era

Mike Elliott will take over from Allison. "We first met at the beginning of 2013 when I joined the team and have spent many hours talking about the team and its evolution since then. Mike has developed from our Head of Aerodynamics to now being ready to take the step up to become Technical Director. Together with an exceptional group of senior technical leaders, this puts us in the best possible position for the sport's next era."