In response to Mercedes’ ongoing ground-effects struggles with the W14 car at the start of the 2023 season, Allison has reverted to his previous 2021 position of technical director.
This enables him to take a more hands-on role with influencing current car development, while Elliott now holds a longer-term strategic position in the capacity of chief technical officer.
Mercedes insists that Elliott pushed for the switch on his own terms, feeling he was better suited to a more overarching remit.
This sentiment has been reinforced by Russell, who said on Thursday ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that both engineers are now ‘in their element’.
Russell noted: “It's really good news for the team.
“Mike is probably one of the most intelligent engineers I've ever come across in my life.
“But, in any team, if you take football as an example, you have 11 players on the pitch.
“You need to make sure you've got the right players in the right positions to get the best team result. I think Mike moving into his new role, he'll be absolutely in his element.
“With James, he was obviously here on a part-time basis on the F1 project before and now he's here sort of pretty much full-time. That's only an addition for us and him as technical director.
“He's in his element. He understands people, understands the sport. He's a great leader. That’s what you need from somebody in that role.”
Russell added that the restructure was unlikely to produce dramatic changes on a day-to-day basis at the Brackley headquarters.
Source: Autosport