Ferrari “Didn’t Have an Eye on Renewal” – Allison Explains Why Mercedes Domination Is Different

Mercedes recently broke Ferrari’s record of the number of championships won consecutively. With the result in Imola, the German manufacturer team went on to lift their seventh trophy as opposed to Ferrari’s earlier feat of six.

It has raised questions of whether the current Mercedes team is one of the best teams in F1 history. While Ferrari still lead the overall count of trophies won, there is a case to be made for the defending champions.

How do the Ferrari from two decades ago and the current Mercedes team compare? Mercedes’ technical director James Allison has an opinion on where the two sides differ.

Mercedes has structured itself in a “resilient” manner, says Allison

Allison is a prominent figure that has had his foot in both camps over the course of time. The British motorsport designer had previously worked for Ferrari in two different stints.

Speaking to the podcast “F1: Chequered Flag”, he is quoted as saying, “I’d say that Mercedes has made a conscious decision to structure itself in a more resilient fashion. Ferrari had a particularly gifted group of people who were able to give their all to making that championship run, a remarkable thing.”

Mercedes have made concerted efforts to tie down deals for their key people on a timely basis. This includes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, team boss Toto Wolff, and chiefs such as Allison himself.

“But they didn’t have an eye on long-term renewal. And this team (Mercedes) I hope, has made that more of a thing. It has also been through several cycles of renewal internally even across these championships.”

The layering has enabled them to become a stronger team

Much like almost everything in life, Mercedes’ dominance will not be sustainable. In time, different factors could see members of the core team depart for newer challenges.

The collective strength of Mercedes is in the talented people that work across various departments. So many employees sharing a similar vision of being consistent winners helps to an extent.

Regardless, as it stands, they are most certainly the team to beat. Going into the 2021 season with all those championships will give them the confidence to continue doing well.