Allison and Costa to swap places? (2nd Update)

Aldo Costa in Ferrari red again? If not Ferrari may never win again.

UPDATE (GMM) Aldo Costa says he is not tempted to return to Ferrari.

Like many others before him, the Italian left Ferrari in 2011 amid the great Maranello marque's struggle to win its first title since 2007.

Now, Ferrari is in its latest 'crisis' following the departure of technical boss James Allison, with Mercedes' Paddy Lowe linked with the job.

But Costa, now a key technical figure at Mercedes, might be another Ferrari target, particularly as he knows Maranello well.

Asked by Corriere della Sera newspaper if it is true that Ferrari has contacted him, Costa insisted: "Look, I prefer to respond in this way.

"I feel really good at Mercedes. This is my home and I have no temptation or hesitation," he added.

Paddy Lowe now in the mix?

11/18/16 (GMM) Speculation is rising by the week that James Allison's future may be at Mercedes.

Earlier this year, following the sudden death of his wife, the Briton left Ferrari and has since been linked with a return to a British-based team.

The rumors may tie in to reports that Mercedes may soon have a vacancy, with Paddy Lowe linked with a switch to fill Allison's old job at Ferrari. (AR1.com sources say it is Aldo Costa)

Lowe told the BBC he "would not deny" that his contract is coming up for renewal, but when asked if he has been in contact with Ferrari insisted: "No."

And when asked if he would like a job at Maranello, he said: "I can't answer that."

At the same time, Allison's rumored links to Mercedes but also McLaren have grown, with the BBC saying he has turned down Renault and ruled out Williams and Red Bull.

As for Lowe's future, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said: "The silly season has gone from drivers to senior personnel.

"Paddy is a great guy, he's been part of our success and plays a very important role. It is clear people are discussing contracts and the media is not the place to talk about it."

11/17/16 According to AR1.com sources, James Allison could be moving closer to a surprise move to Mercedes to replace Aldo Costa, the genius behind Mercedes' success the past 3 or 4 years.

Costa is Italian and his family is mostly in Italy. He was the genius behind all the Ferrari wins in the Michael Schumacher days.

Inevitably he has been linked with a possible move back to Ferrari and his family. Ferrari knows they cannot win F1 races unless Costa or Adrian Newey design their cars, and Newey isn't about to leave Red Bull.

Ferrari put their top engine designer in charge of the entire design team when Allison left, but Ferrari has only gone downhill since – what does an engine guy know about chassis and aerodynamics design?

If Costa does leave Mercedes it would be logical to assume that Allison would be an ideal replacement.