George Russell believes that in hindsight, James Allison’s return to the role of technical director at Mercedes in April 2023 was a pivotal moment for the Brackley squad in its fight to turn around its fortunes.
Allison had been instrumental in guiding Mercedes’ engineering department and developing a succession of championship-winning cars between 2017 and 2021.
However, the Briton eventually stepped away from his daily hands-on technical responsibilities which were taken over in July 2021 by Mike Elliott.
Under Elliott’s leadership, Mercedes captured an unprecedented eighth consecutive Constructors' Championship, but the team faltered when the new regulations came into effect in 2022.
The introduction of F1’s ground-effect cars saw the German outfit struggle, particularly with its ambitious but flawed ‘zeropod’ design.
The car’s performance issues meant that the team could no longer challenge Red Bull, managing only one race win over two seasons.
As the team grappled with the new era of F1, it became clear that a change was needed. In April 2023, Mercedes brought Allison back as technical director, marking a turning point in the team’s trajectory.
Russell, who has driven for Mercedes since 2022, emphasized the significance of Allison’s return, attributing much of the team's recent success to his leadership.
“I think James Allison’s re-involvement with the project has been an immense benefit for us,” Russell explained, quoted by Motorsport Week.
“We’ve always had this talent within the squad, but just having that clear leadership and clear direction to maximise the talent of the designers and the aerodynamicists has been vital.”
Allison’s technical expertise and experience have brought renewed focus and clarity to Mercedes' engineering team. His ability to direct the team and unify the design and aerodynamic departments has allowed the outfit engineers to overcome some of the obstacles that plagued their early efforts under the new regulations.
“The experience he’s got is huge as well, so I think that has been a big factor.”
This year’s campaign has seen an upturn in Mercedes’ performance, with the team now regularly competing for podiums and race wins.
Russell himself claimed victory at the Austrian Grand Prix, and the team even secured a 1-2 finish in Belgium before he was disqualified due to a technical infringement.
Lewis Hamilton also returned to the top step of the podium at Silverstone, breaking his 56-race win drought. Russell believes that much of this improvement stems from the renewed technical direction provided by Allison.
The season has also been marked by a shift in the competitive landscape, with Red Bull’s once-dominant performance showing signs of vulnerability.
While Mercedes has found some gains, Russell acknowledged that Red Bull’s relative decline has also contributed to the overall shift in fortunes.
“The upturn in performance from us and McLaren has definitely been quite a pleasant surprise, and maybe a bit exaggerated with Red Bull’s loss as well,” he said.
“I think we’ve moved forward and they’ve also come back, so it is a big swing, but in a normal season, a driver and team should not win every race, and this is the norm.
“We are talking about this disaster for Red Bull, but this is what happens in a normal season.”
Despite the resurgence, Mercedes has faced challenges in maintaining its competitive edge. The team decided to abandon a new floor concept that had been introduced before the summer break, as it appeared to negatively impact their performance.
©Mercedes
Since then, results have been more sporadic, with Russell managing only a third-place finish in Azerbaijan, which was aided by a late-race collision between Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez. This podium finish remains Mercedes’ only top-three result in the last four races.
Nonetheless, Russell is optimistic about the team’s future, citing Allison’s influence as a major positive moving forward.
With the technical structure more stable and clear, and the team continuing to fine-tune the W15 car for the remainder of the season, Mercedes is looking to return to the consistent form that made them a powerhouse in the sport.
"We are talking about this disaster for Red Bull," Russell said, referring to the shift in the competitive balance this season, "but this is what happens in a normal season.”
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