Mercedes surprised everyone when they re-signed James Allison as the team’s technical director. The 55-year-old Briton returned to the team after the Silver Arrows suffered a slump under the leadership of Mike Elliott in the last two campaigns.
After returning to the team, Allison has reflected on the challenges Mercedes faced in 2023. While speaking on the Performance People podcast, Allison said, “When a team has been on a very high plateau for quite a large number of years, for quite a long period of time, and then takes a dip, for whatever reason, it’s very disorientating.
The Briton then went on to explain the harmful behavior they indulged in after their “crown first slipped“. “Probably the most destructive pattern that we as a group got into over that difficult period from when our crown first slipped, was that we fragmented more than we should have done“, explained Allison.
This is why Allison believes it was important for him to get the team back together and work as a unit. The 55-year-old revealed that he has recently focused on getting the main engineers of the company to discuss with one another more and take off the pressure they have.
Allison believes that instead of each unit focusing just on themselves, they need to ensure that they coordinate with one another as doing so will help the team get the desired results. Many experts believe that Mercedes bringing back Allison could indeed be a game-changer as the Briton has the experience to get the side back to the top.
Can James Allison help Mercedes fight Red Bull in 2024?
Mercedes made a statement of intent when they decided to bring back James Allison this season. The Briton has helped teams win a total of 14 Constructors’ Championships, five of which he won with Mercedes from 2017-21. F1 expert Andrew Benson believes that Allison’s return could indeed be the key to helping Mercedes fight Red Bull for the championship in 2024.
Benson wrote (as quoted by si.com) for the BBC, “Allison is probably the second most highly regarded technical leader in F1 after Red Bull’s Adrian Newey, and his return as technical director is an effective admission that something has not been working in the past two years”.
Benson believes that ever since Allison moved away from Mercedes in 2022, the team has struggled. Since the British engineer has now returned, the question is whether he can help the Silver Arrows return to the top next season or not.
