© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
James Allison discusses Mercedes’ staff reshuffle and adds “collectively [Mike Elliott], me and all the rest of us will put together a weaponry we can proud of again”.
Shockwaves were sent through the Formula 1 media when Mercedes announced they decided to return the team’s Chief Technical Officer James Allison to his previous position of Technical Director, while TD Mike Elliot assumed the CTO role.
After the swap was announced, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff explained that Elliott and Allison themselves suggested that the switch be made.
In a talk with Sky Sports Allison explained how they came to that decision.
“[Mike Elliott] and I talked long into the night about this and just reckoned we could do a better job swapped around than we could in our erstwhile role,” he said.
“Mike is better at thinking long term, Mike is better at working out where the long-term structural weaknesses in the organisation are, in the technologies are. He thinks more strategically than I do.
“I’m a bit more of a blunderer around, of applying lots of enthusiasm in the short term and then relatively good as a hype-man in getting the people in the factory pumped up for a fight.
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“Those are the sort of characteristic differences between us which mean I’m possibly a bit more suited to the technical director role which feels the call of the current car much more strongly than the CTO role which is preparing us for the wars to come.”
Allison added they will collectively do everything in their power to return Mercedes to its former championship-winning glory.
“The W13, [and] the W14, 15, 16, 17 to come, will be the product of our entire factory and I will be playing my small part in that.
“I hope to play that part well and hope that being a short-term miller will be useful.
“In the other part of the company, Mike will be moving the chess pieces around to make sure that over time the organisation just gets stronger and stronger.
“And collectively him, me and all the rest of us will put together a weaponry we can proud of again.”
