Mercedes chief engineer James Allison wanted to resign from the Silver Arrows - Reports

Mercedes Technical Director James Allison reportedly wanted to leave the team but his resignation was rejected by the team's senior management. Allison took over as the team's technical director last season, replacing Mike Elliott.

Mercedes has not been the same ever since Lewis Hamilton lost out on the F1 Drivers' Championship to Max Verstappen in the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP. The German outfit has since failed to pose a major threat to the dominant Red Bull Racing, falling behind the likes of Ferrari and McLaren in the pecking order in 2024.

In hopes of reviving the team back to it's former glory, the eight-time Constructors' champions made numerous turnarounds in their hierarchy. One such change was the return of British engineer James Allison back to his role as the team's Technical Director.

Allison joined the team as the Technical Director back in 2017 after the departure of Paddy Lowe to Williams F1. In April 2021 the 56-year-old was promoted to the role of Chief Technical Officer before returning to Technical Director in 2023.

According to a report from Motorsport Italia, James Allison felt increasingly isolated within the team and was considering resignation. The report suggests that Allison felt he had not delivered the turnaround that the team expected and found himself "too alone" in a technical environment that had been significantly depleted over time. However, the senior management rejected his resignation.

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Toto Wolff denounces Christian Horner's claims of Red Bull snatching over 200 Mercedes staffs

Toto Wolff in Suzuka in 2024

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has recently quashed claims made by Red Bull Racing's Christian Horner regarding staff movements between the teams.

Over the Miami Grand Prix weekend, Horner countered suggestions from Mercedes and McLaren that Adrian Newey potentially leaving Red Bull would weaken them. The 50-year-old claimed that Red Bull Powertrains, the newly established engine division, recruited 220 people from the Mercedes High Performance Powertrains in Brixworth, while also attracting a significant number of personnel from McLaren.

"I don't know how many people we or RB have employed from McLaren this year," Horner said (via Motorsport). "Mercedes, we have taken 220 people out of HPP into Red Bull Powertrains. So, when we are talking about losing people, I would be a bit more worried about the 220 than maybe one or two CVs."

However, Toto Wolff contested these numbers, asserting that the actual figure was far lower. He also emphasized that such fluctuations in personnel are normal within the industry.

"You have got to work on the maths - 19 engineers," said Wolff. "Whatever those numbers are, there are natural fluctuations that come and go, which is completely normal."

George Russell is the highest-ranked Mercedes driver at this year's Formula 1 World Championship, in seventh position with 44 points to his name. Lewis Hamilton is currently eighth with 35 points.