Research notes
James Allison (born 1968 in Lincolnshire, England) graduated from Cambridge University in 1991 (Aeronautical Engineering) and immediately joined Benetton as a junior aerodynamics designer, launching his F1 career. He subsequently worked at Larrousse (Head of Aerodynamics), returned to Benetton (promoted to Head of Aerodynamics), then Ferrari (Track Aerodynamics Engineer), and Renault/Lotus (rising from Deputy Technical Director to Technical Director). He returned to Ferrari as Technical Director in 2013, joined Mercedes as Technical Director in 2017, was promoted to Chief Technical Officer in 2021 (also serving as CTO of the INEOS Britannia America's Cup sailing team), and swapped roles with Mike Elliott in April 2023 to resume the Technical Director position, which he still holds. Note: this task's title lists his role as CTO, but according to the official team profile and 2026 media reports his current title is Technical Director.
Mercedes' top technical leader for the race car.