James Allison

Technical Director

After graduating from Cambridge, James put his engineering skills to immediate use in

Formula One by joining the aero department of Benetton in 1991. A couple of years later he

moved to Larrousse as Head of Aerodynamics before returning to Enstone for a second time

with Benetton, this time as Head of Aerodynamics in the mid-1990s.

A five-year spell with Ferrari began in 2000 as James oversaw trackside aerodynamic

operations during the most successful time in the Scuderia's history. In 2005 James returned

to Enstone to join the Renault F1 Team in the role of Deputy Technical Director as the team

won back-to-back drivers' and constructors' world championships. In 2009 James moved to

his current role as Technical Director.

Key details:

Date of Birth: 21 February 1968

Place of Birth: Louth, Lincolnshire

Nationality: British

Key dates:

1991: Junior Aerodynamic Designer for Benetton F1 Team

1992: Head of Aerodynamics for Larrousse F1 Team

1994: Senior Aerodynamic Designer for Benetton F1 Team

1995: Joint Head of Aerodynamics for Benetton F1 Team

1998: Head of Aerodynamics for Benetton F1 Team

2000: Aerodynamicist responsible for Track Operations at Ferrari F1 Team

2005: Deputy Technical Director Renault F1 Team

2009: Technical Director Renault F1 Team

2010: Technical Director Lotus Renault GP

James in 30 seconds

What's the best looking F1 car ever?

The Renault F1 R25. It had a pretty livery and looked neat and aggressive from every angle. I

really liked the era of all the flicks, winglets and chimneys on the bodywork, which are no

longer allowed by the regulations.

Best car you've ever worked on?

Although I have lots of happy memories of cars from previous seasons, I only really ever care

about the one we are working on right now.

Best racing memory?

Definitely being at the Chinese Grand Prix in 2005 when the Renault F1 Team won its first

constructors' title. We came to that race and surprised everybody with the pace of our car.

Favourite track?

Suzuka – simply because of the number of amazing corners in the lap. It's one of the old

school circuits and is a real challenge for the drivers. I particularly like turn one and the 'S'

curves, which are one of the best places to appreciate the performance of an F1 car.

James Allison: "The entire concept of the R31 differs

considerably from any car this team has ever produced"

After a busy winter, the team's Technical Director talks about the challenges faced during the

design phase of the R31 and how the team has adapted to the new regulations.

James, tell us about the R31 and how it varies from its predecessor…

Words like 'aggressive' and 'innovative' are very much in vogue in Formula 1 at the moment,

but where the R31 is concerned we feel that those adjectives are appropriate. It's true to say

that the car has been designed in an ambitious manner and a quick glance at the layout will

confirm that its entire concept differs considerably, not just from last year's car, but from any

car this team has ever produced. Those changes represent our attempt to extract the

absolute maximum aerodynamic performance from the regulations, which have changed

quite significantly for this year, and to further develop the concept of using the exhausts to

blow the floor.

So it's fair to say the R31 is a significant step forward compared to the R30?

It is very difficult to compare the two cars in a meaningful way. 2011 is a different year with a

new set of regulations and that's why the R31 is a very different car. For example, KERS is

back this year and the car has been completely re-engineered to accommodate that system

in an efficient way. We've also chosen to change the layout of our rear suspension by opting

for a pull rod system for the first time in decades. And, as I said before, anyone can see that

the treatment we have given to some specific areas is completely new compared with

anything we have done previously. All of those things are aimed at trying to maximise the R31

under the 2011 rules.

How has the team handled the design and build phase of the new car – has it been a

relatively straightforward winter?

It's never straightforward – that's the honest answer – but it has been made particularly tricky

this year by having major additional components, such as KERS and the adjustable rear wing

to incorporate as well. Developing the wing, for example, added considerable workload in the

design and production stages, rather than simply making a refinement of the previous year's

design. It meant starting with a completely clean sheet of paper. The same was true of the

areas around our exhaust system where we had to begin from scratch.

What more can you tell us about the adjustable rear wing and how it will affect the

cars…

The straight-line speed gain from adjusting the wing will not be the same for all cars and

whoever gets the most benefit will depend on who has designed the most efficient version.

Every team will be looking for a wing that delivers the optimum compromise of downforce in

the corners, while shedding the maximum drag down the straights – the better your wing can

do that, the better your lap time will be in qualifying and the more competitive you will be in

racing conditions. In terms of how powerful it is, the gains from adjusting the rear wing will be

more significant than the gains we saw last year using f-ducts. But, like the f-duct, it's far from

straightforward aerodynamically and we've spent a great deal of time in CFD and the wind

tunnel to make sure our concept delivers the best compromise.

Where do you think the R31 will sit in the pecking order when the season gets

underway?

With every season that goes by, the professionalism of the teams that are competing

becomes even more intense. There are many teams that know how to produce a good car

and we're under no illusion about the scale of the challenge facing us in 2011. I think that last

year we perhaps exceeded the expectations of some people in the pit lane, but we certainly

didn't outperform our own expectations. While we were happy to be moving back in the right

direction, we would be frustrated if we started 2011 operating at the same performance level

we showed last year. That means we want the R31 to be competitive right from the off and in

with a chance of scoring podiums or better from the first race. Considering the tremendous

effort that has gone in at all levels to produce this car, that would be a fitting reward for all

concerned.