James Allison has today been confirmed as the new Technical Director at the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team, and will join up with the squad as of March 1.
The role has been newly created for Allison, who will run the technical organisation within the Brackley based squad and will report directly to Mercedes Motorsport Boss Toto Wolff.
The Brit, who left a similar role at Scuderia Ferrari in July of last year primarily due to family reasons, is pleased to be returning to the F1 fray with Mercedes.
“I am very excited to be getting back to work after this time away from the sport. It’s a massive privilege to be given the trust of a position in a team that has done so spectacularly well in the past three seasons.
“I am really looking forward to playing my part in helping Mercedes go from strength to strength in the coming years.”
Paddy Lowe had been the previous incumbent of the position at the German squad, but his exit from Brackley, which had been on the cards for months, was confirmed in January. It is believed Lowe will join Williams Martini Racing, though no concrete confirmation has been given on that as yet.
A suitable replacement for the highly rated engineer was therefore needed, and in Allison, who has won world championships with both Ferrari and Renault, Wolff believes they have the perfect fit.
“I am delighted to welcome James to Mercedes and very much looking forward to working with him. Our technical team is extremely skilled at every level and at the top of its game after delivering three world championships in a row.
“It wasn’t an easy task to find the right personality who can strengthen our experienced group of engineers, give our talented young team members the space to develop and also bring his own vision to this role.
“James is a sharp engineer; I think we have found the perfect guy and the right fit with our senior leaders.”
