F1 News: Mercedes Admits Challenges Amid Red Bull Domination - "Slapped Down By The Racing Gods"
Mercedes Technical Director James Allison revealed that despite the fierce competition from Red Bull that prevented Mercedes from going anywhere near the top of the podium, he didn't mind taking back his previous role because of the fun that the challenges offered and also for the love of F1.
Allison resumed his position as technical director, swapping roles with Mike Elliott to assist the team in returning to its winning ways. Despite the challenges posed by the Milton Keynes outfit, Allison expressed his enjoyment of being part of a team that embraces challenges and is determined to put up a strong fight.
Revealing his experience of being a part of a team that was constantly held back as a result of issues on the car, he told the media:
“You say it's no fun, actually it's lots of fun.
“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.”
Mercedes Press Image
Admiring Red Bull's determination and perseverance during Mercedes's era of domination, the technical director added:
“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.
“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 reestablish itself as a force to be reckoned with. There's loads and loads of fun to be had in that.”
2024 Still A Big Question Mark
Speaking of the 2024 car, Allison hasn't set high hopes yet since he is unaware of the progress made by rival cars. He added:
“I don't think any team has ever been anything other than apprehensive at this time of year, alongside excited or whatever.
“You'd have to be psychotic to be bullishly confident because you only know one side of the equation, which is what you've done.
“There have been years where you run a car for the first time and the drivers sort of got out and said: ‘Well spend your bonus, this is a brilliant one.’
“But even then, you don't really believe it until you get to the track and start using it in anger and everyone else is alongside you.”
Allison remains optimistic about the season ahead, adding that the journey in Formula 1 is never smooth. He said:
“It's always a roller coaster of getting your hopes up, being slapped down a bit by the racing gods and then gathering your skirts again to have another push.
“I hope that that journey upwards is steep and strong and secure, but it will be great fun trying to drive it at whatever pace we can to give our rivals a good old fight.”
