A shake-up in Mercedes’ technical leadership

Oriented towards the future

From July 1, 2021, James Allison will take up a new position entitled Chief Technical Officer (CTO). In this role, James will step back from the daily management of F1’s technical operations, which he has been leading since early 2017, and will devote his energy to assisting the team in tackling the strategic challenges of the sport’s next era. As CTO, James will continue to work closely with the technical leadership in Brackley and Brixworth.

At the same time, Mike Elliott will be promoted to the position of Technical Director of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. After starting his career at McLaren in 2000, then at Renault F1 Team, Mike joined Mercedes in 2012 as Head of Aerodynamics and played a central role in the development of the sport’s main aerodynamics group in the following years. Since 2017, he has been the team’s Technology Director and has played a key role in developing the team’s performance capability.

The transition to the new organization will take place over the next few months. The team will continue the 2021 championship battle on the track and prepare to face the challenge of the new regulations implemented in 2022.

Toto Wolff, Executive Director of Mercedes-AMG Petronas, spoke at length about James Allison: « Since joining Mercedes in 2017, James has been an exceptional technical leader for our team, and he has greatly contributed to our performances: he combines huge passion and great determination with detailed expertise and exceptional moral character. We knew for some time that his time as Technical Director would come to an end this year, and I am delighted that we have been able to shape this new role to keep him within our motorsport family. He will be an important sparring partner for me in the coming years, and I know we still have a lot to achieve together. We often say that the organization is a dynamic entity, and that we must constantly adapt if we truly want to thrive. Effective succession planning has been a strength of our team, so I am thrilled to announce Mike in his new role as Technical Director. We first met in early 2013 when I joined the team, and we have spent many hours discussing the team and its evolution since then. Mike has progressed from our Head of Aerodynamics to now being ready to take the step up to become Technical Director. With an exceptional group of senior technical leaders, this puts us in the best possible position for the next era of the sport.

« James has been an exceptional technical leader for our team »

New opportunities

James Alisson seems delighted with the situation, being aware of the logical evolution of the team and the structure. Having started in motor sport in 1991 with Benetton, also passing through Ferrari and Renault, Alisson is an outstanding competitor, multiplying successes throughout his career. After delivering exemplary work culminating in total team dominance, James Alisson is also looking towards the future, seeing the situation as a new opportunity.

« I firmly believe that people have a lifespan in senior roles in this sport, and I have chosen to step down from my role as technical director in order to pass the baton at the right time for the organization and myself. I have had a wonderful four and a half years as technical director, and it has been a particular privilege to lead the team’s technical effort during this time. It is a great pleasure to be succeeded by Mike, an exceptional engineer within an extremely strong group of team leaders. We will benefit from the freshness he will bring to the role – and I hope to be able to continue to make a useful contribution in a new sphere of activity in my role as CTO, focusing on increasing our capacity at all levels and supporting Toto in the major strategic challenges we face in the near future.

Passing the baton at the right time for the organization and myself

The very next technical director of Mercedes-AMG Petronas will therefore be Mike Elliott. After obtaining a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering followed by a PhD in aerodynamics at Imperial College London, Mike embarked on what would quickly become a meteoric rise in the ranks of Formula 1 aerodynamicists. After 20 years in Grand Prix racing, having worked for three top teams, McLaren, Renault, and Mercedes, Mike has already won seven constructor’s championship titles and placed in the top 3 eight other times. He thus responded to this promotion, discussing his past with James Alisson, his future with Mercedes, and his enthusiasm for this new opportunity presenting itself to him.

It was a great pleasure and privilege to work for James earlier in my career at Renault, and these past four years at Mercedes. His track record in the sport speaks for itself, and he has been a fantastic teammate and leader for me during this time. These are big shoes to fill, and I am thrilled that we can draw on his expertise in his new role as CTO. From a personal perspective, it is an incredible opportunity to become the technical director of a team like Mercedes, and I must thank Toto and our company for trusting me to step into this new role. It is an incredible privilege to be part of this team, and I know that strong leadership at all levels of the company will be essential to our future success. I look forward to starting and tackling the many exciting technical challenges that lie ahead in the months and years to come.

« I am looking forward to starting and taking on the many exciting technical challenges that await us »