Allison: 'Hamilton makes you happy to work alongside him'

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As he looks back on his first year with Mercedes, tech boss James Allison has been highly impressed with Lewis Hamilton, both on and off the track.

Allison wasn't acquainted with the three-time world champion before he joined Mercedes after his tenure at Ferrari.

In hindsight, he obviously doesn't regret his choice.

"It has been a considerable pleasure joining Mercedes this year for many, many reasons but one of those was that it was my first opportunity to start working alongside Lewis.

"I think I'd only ever said hello to him once in all the years prior to that and the experience of working with him is very different to what I imagined it would be.

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"I've found a racing driver of the sort of excellence that all of us can see from his statistics and the way he goes about his job," he added

"But what has been particularly good is that I've found a guy that conducts himself as a man in a way that makes you happy to work alongside him.

"And that's been an enjoyable and good thing about joining Mercedes."

Allison has been involved in Formula 1 for over three decades, kick starting his career with Benetton in 1990.

During his time at the pinnacle of motorsport, the British engineer has worked with many great drivers, including Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and, this year, Lewis Hamilton.

He plays it safe however when asked to compare the three F1 greats.

"I get asked this a lot, and it's a frustrating question because, first of all, there's an impossibility of answering it because there's only one way to know for sure, and it's to line them all up in exactly the same equipment on the same day and have a championship where you find out exactly.

"All I can tell you is that all three of them have got the victories and the achievements that they have, not by good fortune but by being brilliantly skilful racing drivers."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.