Mercedes tech chief dismisses Russell's 'built around Hamilton' claim

Mercedes Technical Director James Allison has dismissed George Russell's suggestion that the new W15 carries influence from Lewis Hamilton throughout. Both drivers have given feedback suggesting changes to the car design philosophy with the Silver Arrows having struggled through the opening two years of the current F1 regulatory cycle, securing just one win in the period. Speaking ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Russell suggested that Hamilton's influence on the design plans could be seen to greater effect than his own due to the seven-time World Champion's experience in the sport.

'A small factor'

Asked whether Russell's claims were true, Allison told media including RacingNews365 : "Every year, we set out to make the car quicker and we set out to make the car quicker using all the tools available to us. "The drivers have their inputs and we do our best to take them into account. "But they are a small factor in deciding which way a car goes because nearly all the forces that make it quick are not related to where a driver wants to sit and stuff like that. "So they're just a part of the overall input that comes to the car."