Mercedes endured a difficult Italian GP weekend. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished outside the podium places for the second time in a row after a run of six podiums before that. However, the team did not leave Monza without a trophy.
The Silver Arrows’ technical director, James Allison was awarded the Comeback of the Year prize at the 42nd edition of the Confartigianato Motori Awards that weekend. The awards ceremony is an annual appreciation of the men and women who have achieved excellence in the sport.
Allison’s award came as a result of the successful turnaround he had overseen at the Brackley-based team after a difficult 2023 season. Mercedes had won eight consecutive constructors’ championships from 2014 to 2021. However, with the ground effect regulations of 2022, the team dropped the ball.
Last season, the team endured a winless season — their first since the 2011 season. But they have recovered emphatically since coming back under the stewardship of Allison. The British engineer returned to his role of technical director midway through 2023 and his influence of this season’s car steadily showed in the results.
Mercedes’ Monaco GP upgrades saw a stark shift in performance for the W15, seemingly solving its balance issues. Since then, the Silver Arrows have gone on to win three of the last four races going into the summer break. Russell took victory at the Austrian GP with Hamilton winning in Britain and Belgium to take his tally up to a staggering 105 career wins.
The optimism in the Mercedes camp is at an all-time high. Hamilton believes he can still chalk up some more race wins for the Silver Arrows in the last eight races of his Mercedes career.
Even looking into 2026, Allison is confident that they have aced the power unit regulations. Next season will see Kimi Antonelli make his debut in the sport for the team. And if their 2024 form is anything to go by, 2025 could see a potential four-way fight for the championship with Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari all in contention.
