Mercedes announces significant F1 management change

Mercedes has announced that long-time team member Bradley Lord will step up to the role of Deputy Team Principal. 

Lord previously held the position of Chief Communications Officer, but has gradually become a more public-facing personality, featuring as a team representitive during sessions on Sky Sports, and fielding questions from the media when team principal Toto Wolff has been away from the track.

He has regularly been seen flanking Wolff on in the garage, where the Austrian views on-track events from. 

"With the growth of our team and F1, the scope of our operations and associated responsibilities at a senior level has grown significantly," said Wolff. "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."

Lord joined the F1 paddock in 2001 as a press officer for Benetton. After a brief stint on the other side of the media fence when he served as the features editor for F1 Racing in 2008, Lord returned to a communications role with Renault in 2010, before joining Mercedes one year later.

Wolff has long stated the importance of succession planning, and while this move is described as "strengthening the organisation at a time of sustained growth" and not a succession plan, it certainly puts the blocks in place for when Wolff elects to call time on his stint in charge of the team.