Motorsport Italy has reported that James Allison will return to the Brackley based Mercedes F1 team.
It seems that after the failure to show any improvement at last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is circling the wagons for a major rethink . . . and that the America’s Cup effort will take a back seat.
Allison departed Mercedes in 2021, moving to sailing team INEOS Team UK, taking on the additional role of Chief Technical Officer (CTO) at INEOS Britannia’s for the 37th America’s Cup Challenge . . . slated for 2024.
He and his fellow Mercedes F1 team members who joined INEOS Britannia’s challenge have reportedly had a significant input on the new test boat, code-named T6, for the next America’s Cup.
This first test boat was designed and built-in collaboration with Mercedes-AMG F1 Applied Science, a division of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team.
The common link in all this interplay is billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the founder and majority owner of the chemical group Ineos.
In recent years Ratcliffe has snapped up a number of sports organisations, including the Mercedes F1 Team and the Ineos Britannia America’s Cup Team, as well as cycling and football teams.
He is presently involved in the takeover battle for Manchester United football club.
Allison played a key role in the creation of 13 Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship winning cars, encompassing stints with Ferrari, Renault, and since 2017 the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.
As Technical Director of the Mercedes AMG-Petronas F1 Team since 2017, he had been a key part of the team’s successes and had won a further four Formula One Constructors’ Championships since he joined.
Allison is reported to be already working on updates for the W14 which are planned to be on the car by the time F1 travels to Imola, 19-21 May.
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