Allison on fighting back against Red Bull: 'Really thrilling'

In Friday’s press conference, James Allison says he "finds it really thrilling" to fight back against Red Bull, and hopes that he share these thoughts with his drivers, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. "I think that both our drivers are very similar to the rest of the team in that if you sense that there is a change of momentum, that gives you a huge boost that you know that keep this running, keep this running, keep this running and the good times and the champagne will flow again."

"That is just a good feeling up and down the grid and for the drivers who get the visceral excitement of actually feeling their car overtaking other people, that lifts their spirits but I imagine when they're actually standing on the podium and reflecting on the fact that they're not on the top step, that may temper their enthusiasm somewhat," the Briton continued.

Looking after the ATR limit

As the season progresses, every team has a different amount of time they develop their cars in wind tunnels, thanks to the ATR (aerodynamic test restrictions) limit. Allison commented on what this means regarding his team, Mercedes. "From Mercedes's perspective, we just try to work the best we can with our own ATR limit, not worrying too much about the people behind us who have more or the people who were behind us having more or the people in front of us having less," he said.

On the other hand, while the Silver Arrows’ technical director acknowledged Red Bull have done a better job so far, he is enthusiastic about the prospect of finding greatness themselves. "They're (Red Bull) there by merit, having worked really well and if we can do as good or better a job, we'll be there. That is actually a lot of fun, very exhilarating thought once you frame it correctly in your head and something that we're all tucked into trying to make a reality."