Toto Wolff has revealed talks with James Allison to succeed him as Team Principal of Mercedes, saying he wants to find a person to replace himself.
The Austrian has gone on record to say that he is looking to leave the role of Team Principal. The replacement hunt is still going on, with Allison rejecting his offer to succeed him.
Allison is the CTO of Mercedes, and is one of the most influential figures at the team. Wolff revealed talks with Allison to succeed him, and asked him to take over when he leaves.
“James and I speak multiple times every single day and we are totally coordinated on the strategic direction of Mercedes Motorsport and Mercedes Grand Prix,” Wolff said, as quoted by formula1news.co.uk.
“So, much earlier than before we decided the CTO role, it must have been a year or two ago, we discussed the future of the team principal role in Mercedes. He made it very clear it was not for him.
“Since then, obviously, I am thinking and I am looking and I am observing what is happening out there and who is doing a good job so finally I can step back from this madness.”
Key man
Wolff also revealed that James assumes multiple roles in the team, and that he is proud to have him at Mercedes.
“James is obviously a huge asset to the team, not only as a brilliant engineer but also as a leader,” he continued.
“He has a good understanding and an overview of what is happening in Formula 1 beyond the technical space.
“He is a sparring partner of mine when it comes down to strategic discussions, political discussions and he is getting more involved also with the other departments and racing programs that we have.
“It was almost a logical step to make him my technical twin brother. I am also the head of Mercedes Motorsport so it makes sense to have a technical director for all motorsport.
“He enjoyed the idea, so we’ve worked on that for a year,” he concluded.
Read more: Wolff issues firm response to angry Hamilton – “He didn’t see how much he was dropping off!”