Bradley Lord is a British communications executive who in March 2026 became Deputy Team Principal of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, making him Team Principal and CEO Toto Wolff's direct number two while continuing as Chief Communications Officer ¹³. One of the most recognisable non-driver faces in the paddock, he has been a fixture at Wolff's side on the Mercedes pit wall throughout the Brackley squad's modern-era dominance ⁶⁷.

Born in Swindon on 24 May 1980 and a University of Oxford graduate in English and French, Lord has spent his entire career in motorsport, rising from the press office to the senior leadership of the sport's most successful contemporary team ².

“Commentators noted the precedent of earlier Wolff lieutenants such as James Vowles, now Williams team principal .”

From Enstone to journalism

Lord entered Formula 1 around the turn of the millennium, reportedly first as a translator within Renault's racing operation before joining Benetton at Enstone as a trainee in 2001 and progressing through the press office as the outfit became Renault F1 ². Between roughly 2007 and 2009 he stepped away to work as a motorsport journalist for titles including F1 Racing and Autosport, before returning to Enstone and then leaving for Mercedes ².

Building the Mercedes comms operation

Lord joined Mercedes in 2011, initially based in Stuttgart and leading motorsport communications across the Formula 1 and DTM programmes ². He relocated to Brackley in 2013 as Communications Manager, the year Wolff took charge, and in 2014 was promoted to Head of F1 Communications during the first championship-winning hybrid-era season ²⁴. He later became Chief Communications Officer, overseeing media strategy and public relations, and describes a tight inner circle around Wolff including technical director James Allison and sporting director Ron Meadows ⁵.

Team Representative and the public face

In 2023 Lord additionally became Team Representative, effectively the team's public face at the circuit, adopting some of Wolff's duties including media sessions and broadcast interviews on weekends when the Austrian was absent ²⁴. The job made him a familiar Sky Sports F1 presence from the Mercedes pit wall, and, as one profile put it, "rarely far from Toto Wolff's side" ⁶⁷. Asked whether he was Wolff's "right-hand man," Lord deflected with characteristic humour: "On the left-hand side, standing in the garage so, from a pure technicality point of view, maybe not!" ⁵

A widening portfolio

Lord's brief has long extended beyond communications; he frames it as "supporting the team and supporting Toto in the external representation of the organisation," spanning partners and dealings with the FIA, rival teams and the media ⁵³. Since 2024 he has helped coordinate Mercedes' young driver programme with development advisor Gwen Lagrue, and has become a vocal champion of the team's sustainability work alongside head of sustainability Alice Ashpitel ⁵.

Deputy Team Principal

Mercedes elevated Lord to the newly created post of Deputy Team Principal with immediate effect on 20 March 2026, formalising a structure the team said had operated in practice for some time ¹³. Wolff framed it as a response to growth rather than a change in command: "With the growth of our team and F1, the scope of our operations and associated responsibilities at a senior level has grown significantly," and "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" ¹⁸. He praised Lord as a "dedicated and long-serving member" who helped make Mercedes "the most successful of the modern era" ¹⁸. Commentators noted the precedent of earlier Wolff lieutenants such as James Vowles, now Williams team principal ³.

Bottom line

Lord's promotion confirms a quiet truth of the Wolff era: Mercedes' communications chief had long functioned as far more than a press officer. Now formally the team's number two, he combines media authority, institutional memory and a portfolio reaching into sustainability and driver development, anchoring Wolff's leadership group as F1 enters its 2026 regulation cycle ¹³⁵.