WATCH: Mercedes F1 Director James Allison Makes a Cheeky Reference to Red Bull Rivalry at FIA Gala

Mercedes and Red Bull produced a blockbuster show over the 2021 Formula 1 season, battling each other for both the drivers’ and the constructors’ championships. Of course, it was a rather controversial end to the former fight amidst the intervention of the FIA’s ruling in Abu Dhabi.

However, Mercedes’ win over Red Bull in the constructors’ battle was very much on merit. James Allison, the chief technical officer of Mercedes, joined the FIA Prize Giving Ceremony in Paris to receive the trophy.

Of course, it should’ve been the team boss, Toto Wolff, in place of the British engineer. But, with Mercedes looking to make a statement against the FIA for their awful calls late in the Abu Dhabi GP, the Brackley outfit sent Allison forward to receive the constructors’ trophy, where he opened up about the rivalry with Red Bull.

Allison even managed to trigger some giggles amongst the crowd by joking about how the two team bosses got on each other’s nerves often in the 2021 season.

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What did the Mercedes engineer say?

After receiving the trophy, Allison gave his view on the gripping rivalry against Red Bull in 2021. He admitted that the duo fought like ‘cats and dogs’, with Horner and Wolff often creating headlines for their accusation-induced conversations.

“I can’t stress enough what a massive pleasure it is to be able to pick up this trophy today after a championship of such quality and to have the pleasure of fighting like cats and dogs all year with Red Bull,” he said.

“Brilliant opponents. We get on each other’s t*ts a bit. But, that’s how it should be and it was just a fantastic fight. So, yeah, very grateful for that.”

After the Mexican GP, Red Bull had the constructors’ trophy under their control. However, a couple of crucial performances from Valtteri Bottas and the DNF of Sergio Perez in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi assured that Mercedes would secure the title without much trouble.

This also makes it Mercedes’ 8th consecutive team victory since 2014, showing their absolute domination over the other teams on the grid. So, can they continue to dominate? Or, will a new team surge as we march into the unpredictable 2022 season?

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