The departing figurehead involved in F1's two most dominant teams

James Allison recently stepped back from his frontline role as technical director at Mercedes after 30 years of working with some of the greatest drivers and engineers in Formula 1. Allison will continue as the team’s chief technical officer, but as he explained at a recent event organised by the British Motorsports Marshals Club, the job of ‘truffle hunting’ within the new regulations has been taken on by Mike Elliott. 

James was candid and fascinating as he answered questions from volunteers who form the backbone of motorsport, taking us on a journey from his first involvement in motor racing to combining his efforts with drivers who would win a dozen titles with his input. 

World champions were on his agenda from the very beginning. Nelson Piquet was driving for Benetton, one of only two teams that replied to an application letter that James sent out in 1991. An initially positive interview was disrupted by legendary technical director John Barnard, outraged the team was looking to employ extra engineers without his permission. Thankfully, Allison converted Barnard in a second interview and was taken on. 

James began as a junior in the aerodynamics department, and soon afterwards a new driver joined the team who would go on to have one of the biggest influences on Allison’s career. Michael Schumacher made his F1 debut with Jordan at Spa but at the next race in Italy he was part of Flavio Briatore’s Benetton team. By this time, Barnard had fallen out with Briatore, and Ross Brawn had been brought in to work alongside Gordon Kimball and Rory Byrne.  

Allison was connecting with significant technical people in F1 early on and those connections had big consequences. Despite leaving Benetton in the early ’90s, James was back there in time for Schumacher’s second world championship in 1995 and would rejoin the German, Brawn and Byrne at Ferrari for the Scuderia’s golden period of five drivers' titles in a row from 2000 to 2004. 

Schumacher’s approach, and the way he interacted with each team member, is something that resonates with James to this day: “He made us feel part of his championships in a way that was very rewarding. He was very generous with the enjoyment of his success; he would come and spend time with you. The smiling was genuine and the gratitude that he had for what we had done to provide the vehicle was brilliant to be a part of.” 

Allison relished working with Schumacher, pictured here celebrating title number four at the Hungaroring in 2001

Photo by: Motorsport Images

But not everything Schumacher did was perfect… “Michael was ruthless, sometimes ruthless in a way that was uncomfortable for people like me, who really like and admire him; ruthless on the track in a way which you can’t defend. But he was someone who seemed to treat the team as an extension of his family, just a brilliant guy and completely not what his cold Teutonic caricature was like in the British press at the time.” 

In 2005, after the success at Ferrari, Allison returned to the team that had evolved from Benetton into Renault to work with technical director Bob Bell. Having worked with so many elite engineers, James feels Bell had more influence on him than anyone else. 

“Not many people talk about Bob because he doesn’t shout about himself and he doesn’t put himself about in the media,” says Allison. “He’s a very understated person, but anyone who has been lucky enough to work with him has seen the quality of his judgement, the steel in his character.

"He is able to conjure out of nothingness an opportunity to overtake and does it so cleanly, he’s not a bullying bumper-car type overtaker, he’s just brilliant. And it all matters to him just as much as ever" James Allison on Lewis Hamilton

“He’s one of the most decent and honourable people that you’ll ever come across and someone who will put the team in front of his own interests every day of the week – including twice on Sundays. An absolutely golden person.” 

Renault took the next two drivers’ titles with Fernando Alonso, but the team went through a difficult patch in the late 2000s, morphing into Lotus – with Bell promoted to team principal and Allison becoming a technical director for the first time. The financial situation was not great, and it was no surprise to see James move back to Ferrari in 2013. 

Adding more titles to the list proved tricky, although Allison’s 2015 Ferrari won on its second outing with new recruit Sebastian Vettel. A year later James moved back to the UK and was soon signed up by Mercedes. It was the connection required for another golden period, and a connection to the only driver in F1 history to have matched Schumacher’s seven titles. So, what does James see in Lewis Hamilton? 

Allison (left) says Bell had more influence on him than any other engineer. The pair are pictured in Korea in 2012

Photo by: Motorsport Images

“He’s incredibly reliable in turning opportunities into victories; he is not by accident the person with the most poles of all time,” Allison says. “Lewis is one of the most spectacular overtakers, in the sense he is able to conjure out of nothingness an opportunity to overtake and does it so cleanly, he’s not a bullying bumper-car type overtaker, he’s just brilliant. And it all matters to him just as much as ever despite the fact he’s the most garlanded racing driver of all time.

“It seems to matter to him seemingly more than life itself. It’s a sign of his greatness the amount that he cares.” 

Greatness is always recognised in multiple title-winning racing drivers, but it should also be celebrated in the technical supremos who lead the way in producing consistently fast and reliable cars. James Allison is certainly up there with the very best. 

Hamilton douses Allison in champagne after clinching the 2019 title at the US GP

Photo by: Motorsport Images