Ferrari will feel the void left by Allison – Clear

Ferrari’s chief engineer Jock Clear admitted that the departure of the technical director James Allison will have a negative impact on the team. He thinks Ferrari will have a hard time to find a solution in the post-Allison era.

The fabled Italian squad announced last week that its chief technician James Allison parts ways with Ferrari after personal tragic event earlier this year.

The Briton is a well-respected technician inside F1. He has worked as an aerodynamic expert at Benetton, Larousse and Ferrari before having taken on bigger roles at Renault and having become Ferrari’s technical director in September 2013.

The Maranello-based team’s chief engineer Jock Clear indicated that Ferrari will suffer from the departure of Allison.

“Difficult to say in the immediate aftermath. Obviously you’re not going to find losing someone like James Allison – someone of his calibre is not going to go unnoticed. So the team is going to have to work pretty hard to support everybody and cover those gaps.”

Former engine chief Mattia Binotto will take over the role of Allison. Clear can’t imagine an easy takeover for the Italian who has worked for Ferrari for many years. The former Mercedes engineer stresses out the need of close and humble team-work in a bid to help Binotto in his complicated task.

“In that respect Mattia is going to need help from everybody. We’re going to have to pull together. I don’t think there is any suggestion that Mattia is going to immediately step into the kind of role James was doing – very different background.”

Clear is, however, confident that Ferrari can make the best out of the situation. He builds on the commitment of the whole team.

“But the fact is Ferrari has to move forward and we have to make the most of this situation as it is, and I know everybody is committed to pulling together and covering any of those areas where James was very, very strong, and he will be missed, but that’s the challenge for us.”