FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[1Lemon]

I'm looking forward to the New Jersey event, it should be a blast

It was a really good race last year, hoping for more of the same

[LewEngBridewell]

I'm looking forward to the New Jersey event, it should be a blast

It was a really good race last year, hoping for more of the same

[LRW]

Lotus technical director James Allison to leave team

Lotus has suffered a shock early-season loss with technical director James Allison electing to leave the outfit, AUTOSPORT has learned.

Allison, one of the most highly rated designers in the Formula 1 paddock, was viewed as a key asset for Lotus as it pushed to challenge Red Bull for title glory this year.

But just months after initial speculation that other outfits were trying to lure him away, high level sources at the outfit have revealed that Allison has handed in his notice at the Enstone-based team.

Although Lotus was unavailable for comment when contacted, it is understood that an official announcement confirming the news - and the appointment of Nick Chester as the team's replacement technical director - is imminent.

It is not known where Allison is heading, but the most obvious destinations would be McLaren, Mercedes or Ferrari.

However, McLaren has ruled out the possibility, and Mercedes already has a wealth of technical directors. That leaves Ferrari - which has been on a recruitment drive over recent seasons - as clear favourite.

Sources suggest that Allison has signed a contract forbidding him from revealing his new employer until it makes the announcement.

ALLISON FUTURE ALREADY A HOT TOPIC

Earlier this year, amid earlier rumours about Allison's future, team principal Eric Boullier warned against spending war among teams for top technical staff like Allison.

"I think it's insane to create a money war, when you start to pay your people crazy money," Boullier told AUTOSPORT.

"Formula 1 is very risky, it's very demanding, it's very exposed. There are big salaries in Formula 1 and most of the time, in every field actually, higher salaries than in any other industry. But what for?

"For me the company comes first, not fighting for a couple of hundred thousand pounds to keep an employee."

[What's Burning?]

They'll have a few more bucks left for Kimi I guess.

[LRW]

.....and BBC Sport understands Allison has rejected an offer from McLaren.

[What's Burning?]

and the votes are in... January testing in, in-season testing out.

Teams approve January testing from 2014
ESPNF1: With the new engine and technical regulations due to come in next season, the engine manufacturers are keen to run as early as possible. As a result, the teams agreed in an SWG meeting on Thursday that testing can take place in January; a proposal that will now need to be ratified by the FIA.

McLaren sporting director Sam Michael also confirmed that the teams had agreed to allow pre-season testing outside of Europe.
"Tests in January are allowed; we're not quite sure if we will end up with it," Michael said. "What I think we will end up with is a test in January and two in February, something like that.

"The advantage of being in Europe is you're very close to base when you first run your car. So you could do one test here and then go outside Europe … The only two changes to the sporting regs are that testing is allowed outside Europe in pre-season and testing is allowed in January, because those are two rules."

Michael told ESPN that the proposed move would not have a major impact on the teams' schedules, with launches and the first test likely to be 10 days earlier than in recent season.

A proposal for a return to in-season testing was rejected at the same SWG meeting.