Ferrari has split with Technical Dir James Allison, "following weeks of speculation about his future," according to Jonathan Noble of MOTORSPORT. The Briton's place at the team "had been in doubt after a disappointing start to the campaign," but the team had previously insisted that "the talk were just rumours." However, on Wednesday, it announced that Allison's three-year spell at the outfit "was coming to an end." His contract ran until the end of '17. In a short statement, "it was made clear that Allison and the team had agreed with mutual consent to end their working relationship early." Allison will be replaced with Mattia Binotto, who will take on the role of chief technical officer at Scuderia Ferrari after "moving across from the engine department." Binotto joined Ferrari in '95, originally as a test engine engineer -- "and then performed a similar role for the race team" from '97-03 (MOTORSPORT, 7/27). The BBC's Andrew Benson reported Ferrari President Sergio Marchionne "has recently been conducting a review of the operational practices of the team," including consulting engineers on all levels, in an attempt to "inject more creativity" into the team. This has included a restructuring of the internal workings of departments across Ferrari. Allison's next destination "is yet to be decided but his reputation is such that he would be of interest to most teams." McLaren was "keen to sign him" at the start of '13, but he ultimately turned McLaren down to go back to Ferrari (BBC, 7/27).
