The power of Mercedes? "Together they create absolute magic"

James Allison surprised the Formula 1 world two weeks ago by announcing that he will be stepping down from his role as technical director of Mercedes at the beginning of July. Next summer he will step back and continue as chief technical officer. For Allison it was a logical step to quit.

The technical director was explicitly looking for a moment when he could step down from his position, as he felt it was time for fresh energy. "The decision was already maturing in my head pretty clearly in 2019," he told Motorsport-total.com. "It was just a matter of finding the right timing so that the company could grow into its strengths when I handed it over to a very strong person like Mike Elliott."

Allison had in his mind to leave the Mercedes team after resigning, but Toto Wolff changed that. In fact, the Mercedes team boss asked Allison for another position. "It had to be a role where I could focus on longer-term issues and look at challenges that might be looming for the whole company."

Confidence in Elliott

The technical director has every confidence in Elliott, who will succeed him. "What struck me from my first day with the team was the number of people of exceptional quality who have worked together for many years. They were at the heart of our performance development. Everyone brings a lot to the table, but together they create absolute magic."