80. Mike Elliott

Mike Elliott is the Technical Director of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. After achieving a Master of Engineering in Aeronautical Engineering followed by a PhD in Aerodynamics from Imperial College London, Mike embarked upon what would quickly become a steep rise through the ranks of Formula One aerodynamicist – achieving significant success along the way.

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Having initially joined Mercedes as Head of Aerodynamics in 2012, Mike moved up to Technology Director in 2017, playing a pivotal role in developing the team’s performance capability as part of our senior technical leadership.

In mid-2021, he was promoted to Technical Director – replacing James Allison, as he transitioned to his new role as Chief Technical Officer.

In his new position as Technical Director of the team, Mike Elliott said: “it is a fantastic opportunity to become Technical Director of a group like Mercedes and an incredible privilege to be part of this team. Leadership strength at every level throughout the company will be vital to our future success. I can’t wait to tackle the many exciting technical challenges ahead of us.

But why did he want to work on F1? It’s a rather exciting story… “The guy I shared an office with during my PhD convinced me it would be an interesting career,” he explains. “Ironically, he is our Chief Designer now, and we sit beside each other!”

While primarily focused on aerodynamics, Mike has also spent three years on the race team and two years working on the effect of aerodynamics on vehicle handling, giving him a rounded understanding of the many elements involved in car performance.

Over 20 years into a Grand Prix career which has spanned three front-running teams (McLaren, Renault and Mercedes), Mike has thus far achieved eight Constructors’ Championship titles and a further eight top-three finishes.

When asked what his favourite memory with Mercedes has been, he replied: “Collecting the Constructors’ trophy on behalf of the team. It is a humbling and emotional experience to collect a prize that so many people have sweated blood and tears to achieve.”