Mercedes chief hits back at Red Bull domination theory

James Allison has insisted that his return to his old role as technical director at Mercedes hasn't been ruined by the gap between his team and Red Bull.

The Brit replaced Mike Elliot early last year, a moment of synchronicity after Elliot himself had replaced Allison in that role.

Since then, he has witnessed Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez claim every race win bar one, while Mercedes' two stars Lewis Hamilton and George Russell had to settle for just the eight podiums between them.

Team principal Toto Wolff has already stated that Mercedes' 2024 car will feature dramatic changes compared to the underperforming W14, changes that Allison will be overseeing in the hope of getting back to winning ways in the upcoming season.

Merceedes' W15 will be officially unveiled on February 14.

Allison's Mercedes return

Now, Allison has been talking about his return to the role of technical director, suggesting he enjoys the challenge of attempting to hunt down the dominant Red Bull team.

“You say it's no fun, actually it's lots of fun,” Allison told Autosport.

“It isn't as much fun as winning, that's definitely true, but you have to sort of love the whole of the sport. It involves taking your licks when you haven't done a good enough job.

“I think one of the things to admire about Red Bull's current performance is that they stuck gamely to their task in quite a long period in the wilderness,” he continued.

“They are now enjoying the fruits of that well-placed labour. It's far from unenjoyable being in that position, as long as the team is collectively confident that it's making the right moves to try to re-establish itself as a force to be reckoned with. There's loads and loads of fun to be had in that.”

READ MORE: F1 2024 car launches: Dates, times and how to watch live

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