Allison clarifies: 'Stepping down within Mercedes decided in 2019'

James Allison, who was technical director at Mercedes until recently, explains in an interview that the decision to step away from his day-to-day duties as technical director at the team was made back in 2019.

Although his resignation as technical director was only announced in April this year, James Allison states that he had already made the decision to step down from his duties at the team in 2019. Speaking to Motorsport Week, he explains: “The decision that I took to step away from Technical Director was a decision that arrived pretty clearly in my head during 2019. It was merely a question of organising the timing."

No impact on title fight

Above all, Allison tried to ensure that his exit did not undermine the Mercedes' competitive prowess. Instead, he aimed for the organisational change within the team to "be something that could grow the company in strength in terms of handing over to a strong engineer in Mike Elliott, and could do so in a way that would allow the company to contend for championships without missing a step."

Allison's duties now rest on the shoulders of Mike Elliott, who has also been a key figure within the team. Allison will instead focus on the continued future of the racing outfit, as chief technical officer.