For a long time, Mercedes was the dominant team in Formula 1. People often pointed to the powerful engine, but the chassis was also very well designed. After all, Williams also drove a Mercedes engine during that period, but ended hopelessly at the back in many seasons.
At the end of 2021, technical director James Allison, who was ultimately responsible for the design of the car, decided to take a step back. As Chief Technical Officer, he was still part of the team, but not nearly as involved.
In his place came Mike Elliott, who designed the W13 and W14 with the engineering team – with disappointing results. Although Mercedes has not fallen back to the back regions, the team is not happy with such a big gap with Red Bull Racing.
Mercedes has now made a drastic decision. Allison takes over the role of technical director again, while Elliott becomes the chief technical officer. The team has informed Motorsport.com of this.
Switch CEO’s own idea
According to Toto Wolff, the idea to switch roles was Elliott’s own. The team boss says the former technical director felt he was not suitable for his role. Allison would “go through fire for his troops.” Elliott thinks his skills will serve him better as CTO.
