Wolff addresses allison's role amid Mercedes' F1 2023 struggles
As Mercedes continues to face challenges in the 2023 Formula 1 season, team principal Toto Wolff has moved to address rumors surrounding the role of James Allison at Mercedes, reiterating that the esteemed engineer remains the CTO of Mercedes AMG.
James Allison, a well-respected figure in Formula 1, began his career with Benetton in the early 1990s and has worked with prominent teams like Ferrari and Renault.
He joined Mercedes in 2017 and was promoted to CTO of Mercedes AMG in 2021.
Wolff confirmed that Allison still holds this position but has also taken on the role of CTO with the INEOS Britannia Americas Cup team, as INEOS is a one-third owner of the Mercedes F1 squad.
Recent rumors suggested that Allison would return to the F1 side of Mercedes following a difficult start to the 2023 season.
Wolff, however, emphasized that Allison's involvement with the F1 team is limited to participating in key strategic discussions.
Wolff told Roberto Chinchero, "He [Allison] is not involved. He plays an active role when long-term team strategies are discussed, but nowadays he devotes his time to other activities such as the America’s Cup project and other programs aimed at innovation."
Searching for the Right People to Lift Mercedes' Performance
Despite Mercedes' less than ideal start to the 2023 season, Wolff is not considering bringing Allison back in a more prominent role.
Instead, he believes that the team needs to find multiple individuals who can collectively elevate the team's performance.
"James is still very important to our organization," Wolff noted, "but in terms of the difficulties we have, I don’t think it’s a question of one person, as much as finding more of the right people in the roles we need."
Wolff Dismisses Speculation on Aldo Costa's Absence
Aldo Costa, statistically the most successful F1 engineer/designer in history with 14 Constructors' titles and 12 Drivers' titles under his belt, left Mercedes at the end of 2018.
Some have speculated that his absence has contributed to the team's struggles.
Wolff, however, downplayed these suggestions, explaining that Costa's work was divided among several successors.
"Aldo was very good at structuring his succession," Wolff said, "it was not a process that could be solved in the short term."
"We had two and a half years to be able to mold and adapt the technical department to his absence."
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