Ferrari is in even more trouble than we thought. The Italian team has parted ways with James Allison before he has properly had the chance to build a winning team. The move has not been explained except to say that they have “jointly decided” to end the current arrangements. Maurizio Arrivabene thanked James for his “commitment and sacrifice” and wished him success “and serenity” in the future. Allison himself was quoted as saying that he wanted to thank everyone “for the great professional and human experience we shared”.
There have been rumours in recent weeks that this was going to happen and speculation that Ferrari was chasing Ross Brawn. This was sparked by a recent visit to the factory by Sergio Marchionne. It seemed unlikely, nonetheless, even allowing for Marchionne’s lack of experience in F1, that he would do such a radical thing as firing the technical director, although he is celebrated for axeing people who do not achieve what he wants them to achieve.
There is an argument that Allison may have wanted to return to England after the shock of the recent death of his wife Rebecca, who was living in England while he worked in Italy. Some stories suggest that he may be returning to the UK to look after their three children, but it should be pointed out that the “children” are now 23, 21 and 17 and while the youngest may still be at school, the other two are already at university. This does not mean this explanation is not possible, but it is less likely than it might at first appear.
The third possible explanation is that James has decided that Ferrari is such an uphill struggle that he doesn’t want to continue, which might be a possible explanation, particularly if one is assessing one’s life after a traumatic event. Having said that James is not a man who takes commitments lightly and so he is very unlikely to have left of his own accord if there was a contract in place. Ferrari contracts are generally for five years.
James will not struggle to find work in England, even if he will probably need to take a year out for “gardening leave”. The most likely option is that he will return to Enstone to rebuild that team, with which he has long associations. He may also find McLaren knocking at his door, as he worked closely with Eric Boullier at Lotus before he departed to Italy.
Down in Maranello, Mattia Binotto will take on the role of Chief Technical Officer at Scuderia Ferrari. Whether this will result in success remains to be seen.
joeblogsf1 
Ferrari has been disappointing a decade now. Alonso managed to make them look better than they were in the days of Red Bull dominance, but they have really looked terrible since Merc came along.
They showed promise finally, this year, with Vettel and the car improving, but they’ve lost ground again to RB.
You really need to be a die-hard Scuderia fan these days to support Ferrari.
once a tifosu always a tifosu.
Tutti non sempre un tifoso…
That’s a dessert isn’t it?
“…..to support Ferrari”
Why must I be a die hard fan to support them?
So you only support winners 😮 sad….
I’d suggest it is related to his wife passing away the other month and his family being in the UK
Last year, Arrivabene was unjustly taking credit for the massive improvement the team had over the previous year, 2014. In fact it was the then team’s hardwork including the effort put in by Alonso and Massa that resulted in the success the team enjoyed in 2015. But people never realized that or gave credit to the earlier team. And now life has come full circle at the Scuderia…
I just hope Alonso is able to grab a title or two before Ferrari ever begins to reach that position.It’s the perfect reply the Spaniard can give the team, though it could be easier said than done.
Please come to McLaren Mr. Allison, we need you.
Do you? Is there even a vacancy? I rather got the impression that McLaren were feeling pretty comfortable with their technical & aero staff and organisation.
Joe, If James ends up at McLaren, any idea how he’d fit in to the structure, and would he replace someone or would everyone get shuffled round? Mercedes managed to accommodate half a grid’s worth of technical directors into a single team without it leading to utter chaos, so it’s obviously possible McLaren would want him.
I heard it was thought Allison might not want to be commuting between Italy and England following the tragic death of his wife in order to be nearer his children. Perhaps it is that simple and not Ferrari wielding the axe or James calling it quits?
His children are grown up
Do you have any reports about fighting between Allison and his superior positioned Ferrari colleagues? At first, I’d say its just a case of Allison wanting to go home after death of his wife, rather than Ferrari being utterly stupid. But then again, although i love them, they have a history of making stupid decisions.
No, none.
He may still wish to be closer to them
Yes I don’t doubt that. But we don’t know and I’m not about to go sticking my nose in.
17 is still pretty young. If I was that age and had lost one of my parents I think
I would quite like the other one around.
According to the Obituary in the Witney Gazzette:
“They had children Emily in 1993, Matt in 1996 and Jonathan in 1999.”
So not quite “grown up”
I have written: 23, 21 and 17.
Definitely a bad move for Ferrari but when your life is touched by tragedy you may get a fresh sense of perspective. Perhaps enough is enough and he wants to retire with his children or take a less high profile role somewhere else in engineering.
I can’t imagine the stress he and his children must have been under in the last year
That would not be an unlikely thing i’d say. After all F1 takes up so much time from the lives of those involved these days, and after the tragic early death of his wife, maybe it just a case of , so what if i have a lot of money, what does that really do for me or my family? I’d be inclined to feel that way in those circumstances i reckon.
This seems a strange decision to me.
You mentioned in a previous post that James has had other priorities in his life recently, would it be fair to assume this has had a role in this decision?
I can appreciate that working in a foreign country would be difficult. Wouldn’t Ferrari consider offering some support, such as what Ferrari did with John Barnard?
Jesus Ferrari just don’t get it do they?
“Jesus Ferrari just don’t get it do they?”. Having been employed in F1 (teams) for 25+ years, I’d say that 90% of F1 doesn’t get it either. Ruined by inflated egos amongst other things.
Sorry Joe,
what about familiar reasons? (you know.. his wife.. the kids…)
With Prodromou in McLaren from 2017 Feb.. what a duo!
Alessio
His “kids” are 23, 21 and 17
yes, 17,21,23 with a dead mum and a father away 300 days per year.
Not a great situation.
what about new TD after Binotto? excluding Brawn, may be Bell or others?
(imho James Key would fit perfectly, but i guess he’s waiting for next RedBull’s RB14..15..)
Did you not leave home and go to university when you were that age? In England most people leave home at 18-19 and go off to college and only visit their parents now and then. It may be different where you come from.
yes, even if i’m Italian, i leave home at 18 to go Uni. It’s not about it.
i guess the big difference si in what happened (mum died and dad away)…
Everyone is different.
Agreed. But there is always the safety net of knowing you can visit them when you really need them. Half that safety net was tragically removed. The other half is away in Italy much of the time. It could be a factor here.
One child is still only 17 and I can imagine in quite a distressing situation in that they have their final exams for their A levels coming up in the same period as losing their mother. At such a critical stage of one’s academic studies, which remaining parent wouldn’t feel compelled to return home to support that their child?
Even for the other children in their early 20s, how would they view their father if he elected to remain abroad in the family’s hour of need when it is likely his presence as opposed to his financial support is what would be deemed most critical?
Everyone is different.
Sorry to be brutal, (James Allison is very well thought of, as an TD and as a person):
But if one doesn’t want to (or are unable to do so) be “away” in effect for 300 days a year (irrespective of where the factory is) then you need to step back from being a TD of an F1 team.
Senior F1 engineering positions don’t allow much of a work/life balance. It’s not right (and I know I couldn’t do it) but that’s the way it is.
Sooner or later, (almost) everyone burns out, or loses the burning desire to commit your entire waking life (and some of your dreams/nightmares) to F1.
That’s why I guess most of the calls for Ross Brawn’s return (to any team) won’t yield anything. (never say never, though).
Having said that, the vast majority of James Allison’s career has been at Enstone, and they certainly look like they could use his talents and efforts at the moment (if he wants it).
Not any longer, Joe; kids don’t just fly the nest at 18 – for a start, they can’t afford to for the most part, and the trend towards gap years and extended academic study only add to that.
Meanwhile a 17 year old is just learning to drive, studying for A levels, etc.
In years past, things were different. But the family angle seems perfectly reasonable to me.
Well find out where they are at university and you might know more.
That is a very broad generalisation. My experience is it has nothing to do with where you come from but more to do with your upbringing and type of relationship with your parents.
I know plenty as you describe but I also know plenty who are extremely close to their parents and spend a lot of leisure time with them (some speak on the phone daily).
I would guess most if not all 3 of the offspring do not have families of their own yet, they will want family as well as Friends around them. The other side of the coin is James has come to the conclusion he doesn’t want to look back and think he wasn’t there enough for his family and is taking steps to rectify it.
If you know the answer then fine. If not it is just as much speculation as what I have written.
The kids have lost their mum. It really doesn’t matter how old they are… they are always your kids and you feel like you should be around in case they need someone. I can fully understand why he would prefer to be back at home.
People are all different, but you have every right to think you know the answers.
There are such things as apprenticeships too, not everyone goes to “Uni”… and from experience of recruits from both routes, I know which one I’d employ from.
What does this have to do with the discussion?
Just because they are in college doesn’t mean they don’t still live at home. Many do, plus what does one do with a 17 year old still in high school? You never get those years back, so I would not be surprised at all if family considerations are a primary motivation. Of course maybe he’s a shit parent and this has nothing to do it it. Either way it’s pure speculation at this point.
It does if you know where they go to college.
Joe,
I lost my mother at 24, in 2010. My brother was 19 (two days short of his 20th birthday, and at university) my sister 26. I lived locally to my father at the time, brother 220 miles away in Manchester, sister 110 miles away in Oxford doing a doctorate.
We all found it immensely difficult to deal with, my siblings especially because they were away from a childhood home that was now missing a person who’d now never be there whenever they called round. It took them a long time to get comfortable in the house after her death; and even now they feel a little uneasy coming to see my father because no matter the time elapsed, they tell me it’s hard to shake the feeling of someone being missing.
Most people don’t lose a parent at a young age – I know that from my own university days, the nice thing about my parents being at home was indeed that. I knew where they were if I needed them. The Allison children don’t have that any more just as they find their feet in the adult world, and we can’t know how well they’re taking to this loss as well as their father working away. If this has indeed influenced Mr Allison to part ways with Ferrari (even in a small part), it’s entirely understandable to me. So be somewhat incredulous if you wish, I can see where they’re coming from due to my own experience.
The sudden loss of a loved parent might be a severe blow for a 17-year old “grown-up”.
Yes. But it depends on the person. Like everything else in life. Some are stronger than others.
Cost of houses these days, “most people” in the UK live at home until they’re old enough to collect a free bus pass. I may have left home at 18, but it was in the full knowledge that my parents were just down the road when I needed them. It could be argued that 21 is a long way from grown up, let alone 17. No doubt we all see these things differently though.
Mr Marchionne is not my favourite person, nor I suspect that of many Ferrari employees past and present.
Maybe the rumors of a rift between James and Arrivabene were true after all. He probably must have got tired of the politics and unrealistic expectations. As per many people, Jean Todt was successful because he was able to shield Brawn and the technical team from the pressure/politics of the top boss. Arrivabene seems like a yes man to Sergio, who inturn put unrealistic pressure on the team (Allison). You cannot expect to win again so soon. F1 is complex, its not a business/stock market. Seems like a disaster for Ferrari. Shooting themselves in the foot again. After Newey, Allison, Prodromou, Key 7 Aldo Costa are the top tech gurus. With Brawn refusing to return, Prodromou & Key not interested and Costa not coming back, wonder whom they will get (of the same level as Alison)
Hopefully, they have a proper substitute planned.
Else, they will be behind McLaren by next year.
Wonder what Vettel must be thinking. Allison must have been a key to the project and one of the logical reasons why Vettel joined in the first place.
Joe, any likelihood of Vettel’s departure?
I don’t think this is something that Arrivabene would do
Thanks for the quick reply Joe. You are possibly more logical than me. Anyways, will James Allison join Renault or a rival team? If yes, shouldn’t there be a gardening leave of sorts? I remember that Merc imposed a year’s gardening leave on Jock Clear before he joined Ferrari. Nothing similar has been announced for Allison. Any news about this?
On a side note, how do you rate Sergio Marchionne? He promised to be everything Montezemolo was not and yet is turning just like him. Politics, Pressure, Paddock Appearances, meddling the the team’s technical affairs, undercutting senior engineers, etc. Plus he has had little success despite a raft of changes.
Marchionne is not an expert in the world of F1 and may be making the kind of mistakes that big car industry people make when they get involved in F1.
Your recent comment that Marchionne is not stupid is clearly correct on its face. But those of us who don’t think he knows what he’s doing in this job are laughing today (unless we’re Ferrari fans. In which case…)
> Ferrari is in even more trouble than we thought
Hard to argue. It’s my opinion that Jean Todt contributed precisely *nothing* to Ferrari’s success under him; a group of people he hired who were winning championships without him came to win them for him instead. But, of course, to contribute nothing at Ferrari was itself an enormous achievement (no, I’m being serious). Todt did *not* pile on superfluous pressure when it took years for the team to bed down and start winning in their new home. And he resisted and soaked up the pressure from above and from the press and the Tifosi, and created a space in which Schumi, Brawn, Byrne and all the other people he’d poached from Enstone could get on with reshaping Ferrari into a better-funded evolution of that team.
Marchionne had a worked example laid out for him of the right way to do his job. For an intelligent man, he doesn’t seem to have learned the lessons very well.
Joe, am I alone in feeling a bit sorry for Mattiacci? I’ve no idea if he was even doing a good job or not – but I’m not convinced he’d been given long enough for anyone else to know either. Wouldn’t have felt so strongly if he’d been moved sideways into a non-Motorsport role like the one he’d come from, instead of just turning him into a non-person….
You are not alone
+1 to both of HasLee’s comments on Ferrari.
good idea, lets start a new speculation about Vettel.
Ferrari is back to what it was before Michael Schumacher.
Has been for a while. My guess based on zero data (because Internet!) is that James got fed up with the politics.
The wheels are going to fall off that wagon. It’s back to how it was Pre-Todt at Ferrari. It’ll be interesting to see what effect if any this has on Vettel’s desire to stay.
Comment from Vettel? – *#$≈¡*!!!
“honestly… i have patience” (remember Alonso :D)
This may not be about taking care of his children, but about his children taking care of him.
There is a rumour that he is resigning at Renault.
There are lots of rumours. The “children” are 23, 21 and 17.
Your comment is interesting: It seemed unlikely, nonetheless, even allowing for Marchionne’s lack of experience in F1, that he would do such a radical thing as firing the technical director, although he is celebrated for axeing people who do not achieve what he wants them to achieve.
The funny thing about this is FIAT isn’t doing very well in the US. Maybe Sergio should axe himself!
And yes, Vettel must be wondering what happens next as none of the folks are around compared to when he originally made his deal. It must look a bit like Bait & Switch…
> There is a rumour that he is resigning at Renault.
Do you mean re-signing? (He already resigned!)
It’s sort of the obvious thing, no thought needed, they have a vacancy and need him, he has done the job there before, knows the people. Effortless, and trivial to negotiate. But that also means that it’s a fallback for him, he could use it as leverage to try to negotiate something more attractive somewhere else if he wanted, and still go back to Renault if he wasn’t impressed.
Wow. What a mess.
I think Ferrari are probably reaping what they sow.
Does this presage a Ross Brawn return, on his terms?
I doubt it, but then James’s departure came as a surprise as well.
I hope Mr Allison leaves the stresses of F1 behind him for some time to come and finds some sort of peace and happiness in his life.
With grief people react in many different ways, but one of the most common its work more so that the mind does not dwell on grief.
Another common way is to support those left behind.
Aerospace would be good, but he has an established network within F1. GREAT chap to work with – a true listener who leads from the front; he even asks permission to use the workshop lathe, bless.
Now that is a real shock.
If Ferrari instigated his leaving then they are, as you say Joe, in more trouble than we thought. Who wouldn’t want him in their team? He is top notch.
Perhaps he did decide to take a break? It would be completely understandable.
Whatever the reason, I sincerely hope James finds happiness and contentment in his future.
Unfortunately, not just the infant itself, but the baby clothes, toys and pram have all been cast out along with the bath water from Ferrari. They are just lengthening the time it will be before winning days return. Sebby must be gaining a new respect for Fernando’s bold move, as he surely now sees how impossible it is for the bitchiest team in F1 to compose themselves and work together.
Marchionne showing himself to be the typical corporate pyschopath who believes he must stamp himself on everything he has control of.
He doesn’t understand F1 and this won’t improve things at Ferrari.
Allison needed more time.
No surprise here….he could not make a good car. The fact that he is English does not make a difference.
If Ferrari is making wins it is because of Allison…if the car is shit it is because of Ferrari. Same old song from the English.
Did you know that Ron Dennis and Williams are Italian now? They have not won in 15 years! They must have moved their factories to Maranello I guess.
Well, if you wish to silence the English, get Ferrari to win without English engineers… When did that last happen?
My eldest is 17 and thinking of post college university life. I can’t speak for any other parents but I know I want to be close enough to provide some support and a bit of safety net for another few years yet.
What ever James A. ends up doing, and his motivations for doing it, I wish him well.
As for the scuderia, they are in big trouble. McLaren/Honda & Ferrari prove that money doesn’t buy success in F1. You need a stable cohesive team with realistic goals and expectations set on them
The transition from Honda to Brawn to Mercedes could have been an implosion, but that seems to have been well managed with a robust management team who didn’t seem to rush for results.
Makes me think Sebastian and Kimi will drop several several places on the results list. Ferrari appear to be digging a hole for themselves.
Allison back to Enstone would mean Grosjean doing the same, don’t you think?
the timing of it suggests this is not on particular friendly terms as they could have announced this after the German GP when all go on holiday. whatever it is unless they got Brawn (unlikely) or Newey (even more unlikely), this is a pretty bad thing for Ferrari.
Joe, are there any whisperings that S. Domenicali (fired by Montezemolo who was himself fired) could be tempted back?
(answering my own question) Probably not, given that (a) Marchionne seems to think he knows what he is doing (has he uttered that fatal incantation “F1 is just like any other business” yet?), and (b) Domenicali probably doesn’t want to go back, given that the central operating philosophy at Ferrari at the moment seems to be the dark room and the sharp knife. How fitting that that wonderful word “fiasco” comes from the Italian — Maranello are certainly making a bottle of it these days.
No
Sometimes there is no one single reason and you just need a fresh start, restart, or change of scenery after upheaval, so best guess would be ‘perspective.’
Interesting now to see the weekend quotes about the Ferrari rumors, and a certain old woman blaming the media for fueling ‘rumors’ that are destabilizing the team.
Vettel must surely be now talking to Merc about 2019. He may be thinking he has made the same error as Alonso and some of his best years will be wasted at Ferrari. I can’t see RBR wanting him back. They have plenty. Maybe Mclaren in a couple years. We shouldn’t under-estimate the new guy at Ferrari but this is the sort of classic staff swapperroo that saw them as nearly rans for most of the 80’s and 90’s. Seb better not call that car any kind of box or he’ll get his P45 too. Oh dear.
Marchionne is not a stupid man. Although his F1 experience is limited, he will know full well that success takes time. Allison was surely brought in (and bought in) to put the foundations of stability in place to lead to success within a few years. The likes of James Allison, Adrian Newey, Paddy Lowe, Ross Brawn and many others doggedly work ridiculous hours, more often than not away from home. I would like to think that Allison was not ‘asked to leave’ so to speak, but I would speculate that since the loss of his wife, he has worked with less intensity, which has perhaps worried Marchionne in the long term. I would not think Allison is motivated by the need to ‘spend more time at home’ because wherever he ends up he will be working solidly seven days a week, but I would suggest that had his wife not sadly died, he would still be in situ.
One will never no the real reason. I hope Ferrari will release him from his gardening leave earlier.
What does this mean?
This is a huge blow to Ferrari as they are designing an all new car for next year. This is really going to hurt them for years to come. The only better person is Newey and no way will he come to Ferrari. Even if they hire a new guy it will take at least a year to make an impact and he will not be involved in the foundation of their new car.
Joe enjoyed seeing you in Montreal!
I honestly can’t image Ross Brawn going to Ferrari for any reason. He’s wealthy. He’s comfortable. He’s accomplished a great deal. He has earned an excellent reputation as an F1 boss. Given the toxic atmosphere at Ferrari now with Marchione, going to Ferrari would put the latter in unnecessary jeopardy.
That said, there is always the question of ego. If Ferrari tell him that he’s their savior, he just might believe it.