George Russell has highlighted James Allison’s return as Technical Director as a crucial moment which contributed to Mercedes’ turnaround this season in Formula 1.
Allison was credited with having an integral part in work on several championship-winning cars that sustained Mercedes‘ previous dominance upon his arrival in 2017.
However, Allison elected to scale back his involvement in 2021 as he became Chief Technical Officer, while Mike Elliott was promoted to the role of Technical Director.
But while it went on to record a record-breaking eighth successive Constructors’ title, Mercedes endured a sharp decline with the switch to ground effect cars in 2022.
The German marque was unable to challenge Red Bull as it encountered repeated setbacks with the contentious ‘zeropod’ design, winning a sole race in two seasons.
Allison was reinstated to his previous position last term and he has headed a technical group which has turned its 2024 car, the W15, into a multiple-time race winner.
Russell, who prevailed in Austria and headed a 1-2 in Belgium until he was excluded, believes it’s no coincidence that Allison’s presence has inspired an uptick in form.
“I think James Allison’s re-involvement with the project has been an immense benefit for us,” Russell told media including 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.
“The experience he’s got is huge as well, so I think that has been a big factor.
“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.
“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.”
Mercedes struggles since the summer break
Along with Russell’s Red Bull Ring triumph, Lewis Hamilton ended his elusive drought at Silverstone and inherited the win when his team-mate was disqualified in Spa.
However, Mercedes has been unable to replicate those results since the campaign resumed last month as it has struggled to match McLaren and a revitalised Ferrari.
The Brackley-based squad chose to abandon the new floor that it introduced prior to the shutdown amid concern that was behind its sudden drop in competitiveness.
Russell’s third place in Azerbaijan – which came about due to a late collision between Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez – is Mercedes’ only podium in the last four events.
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