F1 News: Insider Hints At Lewis Hamilton's Influence Over Mike Elliott Exit

Did Lewis Hamilton play a crucial part in the technical role swap within Mercedes?

It has been speculated whether Lewis Hamilton, who was actively involved in the W13 F1 car's development last year, played an important role in the Mike Elliott-James Allison technical role reversal within the team this year.

Elliott became the team's technical director in 2021, while Allison was given the chief technical officer role. However, with the turbulent two-years for Mercedes, the team announced a role reversal this year.

Following a review by Elliott and considering the way Red Bull mastered Formula 1's ground effect aerodynamics, Allison returned to the technical director role whereas Elliott moved back to being the team's chief technical officer. 

However, the developments spilled from the Mercedes garage onto the paddock when Elliott resigned from his role this week. With Hamilton willing to adjust and wait for the situation to improve at Mercedes with regard to the W14 F1 car through his two-year contract extension, Sky F1 reporter Craig Slater thinks that the seven-time world champion might have influenced the technical role reversals within Mercedes.

Mercedes Press Image

Speaking on the Sky F1 podcast before Elliott's departure was confirmed, Slater revealed that he found Hamilton "more on the front foot again" this year. He said:

“It’s quite a significant movement bringing Allison back. Especially when you have promoted someone to a theoretically higher role.

"The rearrangement at Mercedes over the last two years, not saying Lewis was negative in any way in 2022, but there was a kind sobriety and restraint about the way he would speak.

"And I sense now, he’s much more on the front foot again. I think he feels that yes, the building blocks and the right people are in place, in terms of where the car development is going.

"That little quote I made was almost, was that in reference to Mike Elliott, or the engineers who want to go a different way from the kind of Red Bull path that Mercedes have now adopted?

"But you just get the sense, Lewis feels that at least the right personnel are in the right spots with Allison in the lead.

"It’s just can they set the targets and parameters right now and are Red Bull just a little bit too far ahead? Is [Adrian] Newey beatable on aero over this winter? That’s a big question.”

With three Grands Prix remaining, the points difference in Drivers' Standings between Hamilton in third and Sergio Perez in second is down to 20.