Spotlight on Allison as Ferrari falters in 2015

Jul.16 (GMM) As Ferrari’s 2015 resurgence arguably stalls, eyes are beginning to shift to the unextended contract held by technical boss James Allison.

Leo Turrini, the well-connected Ferrari media insider, says the Briton’s current deal expires in mid-2016.

The Maranello team, although apparently improved this year with Sergio Marchionne, Maurizio Arrivabene and Sebastian Vettel at the helm, hit a conspicuous snag at Silverstone when Williams turned out with a clearly superior package.

But the token-upgraded engine debuted in Canada had also failed to live up to its promise, amid suggestions other aspects of Ferrari’s development programme for 2015 are similarly not delivering as expected.

Writing in Italy’s influential La Gazzetta dello Sport, correspondent Luigi Perna wondered if Allison’s performance is “already under scrutiny”.

“It is true that he took over the project started by Nicholas Tombazis, and to save time he stayed with certain elements of the car such as the pull-rod suspension which seemed to limit the usage of the tyres,” he wrote.

“But it is equally true that more was expected in terms of development, as Maranello has invested millions in restructuring the wind tunnel and on modern dynamic test benches for both engine and chassis,” Perna added.

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