Elliot and Allison have worked together previously, at Renault. The new technical director began his career at McLaren before his move to Renault. He joined Mercedes as head of aerodynamics in 2012, and most recently working as its technology director.
“It is an amazing opportunity to become Technical Director of a team like Mercedes, and I must thank Toto and our company for trusting me to make the step up to this new role” Elliott said.
“It is an incredible privilege to be part of this team and I know that the leadership strength at every level through the company will be vital to our future success. I can’t wait to get started and to tackle the many exciting technical challenges ahead of us in the next months and years.”
Team principal Toto Wolff, whose own future with Mercedes was under scrutiny last season before he signed a three-year deal alongside to remain on as team boss, said that the reshuffle was in the works for some time and that the move would set Mercedes up for the best possible start to the new F1 era next season.
“Since joining Mercedes in 2017, James has been an exceptional technical leader for our team, and he has made an enormous contribution to our performance: he combines huge passion and determination with detailed expertise and exceptional moral character.
“We have known for a while that his time as Technical Director would be coming to an end this year and I am delighted that we have been able to shape this new role to keep him within our motorsport family; he will be an important sparring partner for me in the next years and I know that we still have much to achieve together. We often say that the organisation is a dynamic organism, and that we need to adapt continuously if we want to truly thrive.
“Effective succession planning has been a strength of our team, so I am delighted to announce Mike in his new role as Technical Director. We first met at the beginning of 2013 when I joined the team and have spent many hours talking about the team and its evolution since then. Mike has developed from our Head of Aerodynamics to now being ready to take the step up to become Technical Director.
“Together with an exceptional group of senior technical leaders, this puts us in the best possible position for the sport’s next era.”