Mercedes announce new right-hand man for Toto Wolff as team boss reacts to decision

Bradley Lord has been officially appointed as deputy team principal of Mercedes’ Formula 1 team, formalising additional responsibilities taken on over the past two years

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Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has spoken about the appointment of a new deputy team principal(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Mercedes have officially announced the appointment of Bradley Lord as deputy team principal of their Formula 1 team.

Previously, Lord held the position of chief communications officer for the squad, but in recent years he has assumed additional roles, including acting as an unofficial team representative at several races when Toto Wolff was unavailable.

Mercedes view Lord’s promotion to deputy team principal as a formal recognition of these extra duties. He has been a full-time member of the team since 2013, having transferred from the Mercedes car brand, formerly known as Daimler.

Prior to this, Lord had two separate spells with the Enstone F1 team, initially joining as a press officer at Benetton in 2001 and staying on after Renault acquired the outfit, reports the Express.

With his expanded role beyond just the communications department, Lord now ranks among the most influential figures within the Mercedes team.

He now reports directly to team principal and CEO Wolff, who stated: “With the growth of our team and F1, the scope of our operations and associated responsibilities at a senior level has grown significantly.

“We have therefore taken this opportunity to put in place a change that has effectively been operating in practice for some time.

“While my role and overall responsibilities will not change one millimetre, Bradley’s work as deputy team principal will further enhance the capability of our leadership group and provide continued support for me as our team principal and CEO.

“Bradley is a dedicated and long-serving member of our organisation who has played an important part in the team becoming the most successful of the modern era.

“Aligning our structure in this way ensures our leadership group can focus fully on the areas where they can add the greatest value and is optimised to meet the demands of a rapidly growing sport.”

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Bradley Lord has been appointed the new deputy team principal at Mercedes(Image: Anni Graf – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

Lord is the first person to hold the deputy team principal position at Mercedes since Jerome D’Ambrosio. The Belgian former F1 driver joined Mercedes in 2023 as driver development director and also briefly served as Wolff’s second-in-command, before both he and performance director Loic Serra left to join Ferrari.

Wolff had publicly stated that D’Ambrosio was the individual who would assume responsibilities on the ground at any races he couldn’t attend in person.

After the Belgian’s exit, Lord became the figure who represented the team on the limited occasions that Wolff was absent from a race over the past couple of years. Adam McDaid, who is currently the head of media relations and editorial, leads the communications department at Mercedes.