The news that James Allison will join Ferrari may not have been officially announced, but it’s well known that the former Lotus technical director is heading their way.
It’s believed Ferrari are currently negotiating with Lotus to terminate Allison’s contract early, which could explain why the Italian outfit is delaying the eventual statement.
As per his Lotus contract, Allison must remain on gardening leave until the end of the season. Only then can he begin working at Ferrari.
However, with the vast regulation changes and a new engine next season, the Italians are keen to get Allison’s input into the new car and are therefore talking to Lotus about buying out the contract, which would allow the Briton to start working immediately.
It’s certainly not unheard of. Paddy Lowe left McLaren earlier this year to head toward rival Mercedes, but was in a similar position in that he couldn’t start work until 2014. Mercedes came to a ‘mutual agreement’ with McLaren which released the designer from his contract early.
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