Mercedes announces departure of Chief Technical Officer Elliott

Mercedes has announced the departure of Chief Technical Officer Mike Elliott after 11 years with the team.

Elliott stepped up to the role of Technical Director in 2021 to replace James Allison to guide Mercedes into the new ground effects era, but the W13 was badly flawed with its zero sidepod concept that no other team followed.

In spring 2023, it was announced by the team that Elliott and Allison would be switching jobs, with Allison resuming the technical lead while Elliott became CTO - a role that is also held by Adrian Newey of Red Bull.

It has now been announced that Elliott has departed the Brackley-based team.

Elliott departs Mercedes

"It has been one of the great privileges of my career to be part of this Mercedes team. During my time, I have seen it grow from a group of people pulling together to win races, then a first championship, to winning a record eight consecutive Constructors Championships. – and I am proud to have made my contribution to that journey," said Elliott in a statement.

“Although the last two seasons have not seen us winning races in the manner we aspire to, they have tested us in many other ways – and forced us to question our fundamental assumptions about how we deliver performance.

"During the past six months, I have enjoyed developing the technical strategy that we hope can provide the foundations of the team’s next cycle of success.

"I have decided that now is the right time to make my next step beyond Mercedes – first to pause and take stock, after 23 years of working flat-out in this sport, and then to find my next challenge.

I would like to thank my team-mates for a fantastic 12 seasons together and wish them every success for the years to come."

Elliott first started working in F1 in 2000 at McLaren as an aerodynamicist, before a spell with Renault and finally joining Mercedes as Head of Aerodynamics in 2012.