The 2013 silly season is well underway, with speculation that Lotus technical director James Allision is mulling over a move to a rival team.
Ferrari, Mercedes or McLaren are the three speculated rivals. It’s believed the latter is the most likely option should Paddy Lowe relocate to Mercedes – though Ross Brawn insists this is purely a back-up plan should he leave, which he has no plans to do so.
Allison has been technical director at Lotus since 2009, but has previously worked with the Enstone outfit between 1991 and ’99, before moving to Ferrari for four seasons.
Whilst the Briton has proven his worth at Lotus following the teams successful revival in 2012 – which saw Kimi Raikkonen win the Abu Dhabi grand Prix – it’s cited by the German media that Allison is keen to relocate to a team with greater resources.
If reports are to be believed, Genii Capital doesn’t have the required funding to match the ‘big four’ despite a raft of recent sponsor signings including Coca-Cola.
Should Lowe remain at McLaren – something the team are keen on – then Allison may look to Mercedes with Ferrari an unlikely option after the recent signing of Pat Fry.
