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Flavio Briatore has confirmed to Corriere dello Sport that he engaged in six months of "secret negotiations" to bring former Mercedes technical director Mike Elliott back to Formula 1.
The Briton had been out of Formula 1 since leaving Mercedes in 2023, but last week Alpine announced his appointment as their new Chief Technical Officer.
Briatore explained to the publication that he has worked with some of Formula 1's top technical minds, including Ross Brawn, Pat Symonds, and James Allison. He emphasized that a figure of such caliber is crucial for the development of any team's technical department.
Elliott had replaced Allison as Mercedes' Technical Director in 2021 and led the team responsible for the controversial and ultimately unsuccessful "zero-pod" car concept. Allison eventually returned to his role in April 2023, and Elliott departed Mercedes in October of the same year.
"It was tough – secret negotiations that lasted six months," Briatore explained. "But Mike decided to join us because of our aggressive car development program. I've worked with the best – Ross Brawn, Pat Symonds, and James Allison – and I know we need a top-tier technical expert to grow our team and attract other engineers."
Elliott spent 12 years at Mercedes, and Alpine highlighted his contribution to eight Drivers' and eight Constructors' World Championships.
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