James Allison (born 21 February 1968) is a British motorsport designer and engineer, best known for his accomplishments in Formula 1, where he is the technical director of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.
Early life
Born in Louth, Lincolnshire, the son of former Royal Air Force officer, Air Chief Marshal Sir John Allison, James was educated at Abingdon School and Cambridge.
Career
Benetton, Larrousse, and Ferrari (1991–2005) After graduating from Cambridge in 1991, Allison joined the aerodynamics department of the Benetton Formula One team. After a couple of years at Benetton he moved to Larrousse as head of aerodynamics before returning to Benetton as head of aerodynamics in the mid-1990s. In 2000, he moved to Ferrari for five years.
Renault/Lotus (2005–2013) Allison returned to Benetton (by then known as Renault F1) in the role of deputy technical director in 2005. In 2009 Allison became technical director. In 2011, Renault F1 became Lotus Renault GP, before becoming Lotus F1 in 2012.
Return to Ferrari (2013–2016)
On 8 May 2013, Allison quit as Lotus F1 Team technical director to be replaced by Nick Chester. On 29 July 2013, Allison rejoined Ferrari as chassis technical director and then technical director until July 2016. On 27 July 2016, Allison quit as Scuderia Ferrari technical director following the death of his wife.
Mercedes-AMG (2017–present) On 16 February 2017, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport announced that Allison was to join the team in the newly created role of technical director, following the departure of Paddy Lowe to Williams Grand Prix Engineering.
In April 2021, Allison became Chief Technical Officer at Mercedes-AMG. He also became the Chief Technical Officer at Ineos Team UK Britannia's America's Cup team. This role positioned Allison as technical lead of Ben Ainslie's campaign for the 37th America's Cup, with Mercedes-AMG F1 Applied Science partnering with their existing sailing and design teams, which include Ainslie, Giles Scott, and prominent naval architect and yacht designer Martin Fischer. On 21 April 2023, Allison returned to his previous position as Technical Director of Mercedes-AMG F1, swapping jobs with Mike Elliott, who had taken his place earlier.
Formula One Championships
Allison-designed cars have won the following Formula One World Constructors' Championships and World Drivers' Championships: