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Allison poised to join Ferrari

ESPN Staff
July 25, 2013 « Rosberg pessimistic over tyre issues | Button expects McLaren to win a race in 2013 »
James Allison left Lotus early this year © Sutton Images
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Ex-Lotus technical director James Allison is close to joining Ferrari, ESPN understands.

Allison left his role at Lotus in May and since then has been linked with a move to Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull, with no team willing to claim it was attempting to recruit him. However, ESPN has learned that Allison is now on the verge of joining Ferrari but that a deal has yet to be formally completed.

If the deal goes through it will mark a return to Maranello for Allison, who worked for Ferrari in the early 2000s before joining Renault where he enjoyed success as deputy technical director and progressed to be technical director with the team in 2009.

After Allison's departure from Lotus was announced, Fernando Alonso said he would welcome the opportunity to work with him again.

"I worked with him pretty closely and I was world champion with him two times and then I came back to Renault in 2008 and 2009 ... In 2009 he was already technical director and we were not so successful. But we've seen the Lotus car in the last three years and it's no secret that he is one of the top men here [in Formula One] and we will see what the future is for him."

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