Mercedes names Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman as team ambassador
Mercedes has appointed retired NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, who commanded the Artemis II flight around the Moon, as an official team ambassador. The announcement came on 21 October, days before the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
A Moon commander joins the paddock
Mercedes arrives in Austin with a new face on its team page: Reid Wiseman, the retired US Navy captain and former NASA astronaut who commanded the Artemis II mission around the Moon. The team announced on 21 October that he has been named an official team ambassador.
The appointment formalises a relationship that has grown over recent seasons, according to the team. Wiseman says he has spent time with Mercedes in that period, though the announcement gives no dates or places for those visits.
What the role involves
Wiseman will work with stakeholders, partners, employees and guests, Mercedes says, with the aim of showcasing the team's innovation, leadership and high-performance culture. The team also says his experience of human exploration should bring a fresh view on teamwork, decision-making and resilience.
Richard Sanders, Mercedes' chief commercial officer, described Wiseman as "a genuine friend of our team" and pointed to what Formula 1 and human spaceflight have in common: brilliant people working together and absolute trust. Wiseman called the ambassador job a "natural next step" in a relationship that has become very meaningful to him, and said that in both fields success is never about one individual.
The mission behind the name
Artemis II was a nine-day flight and the first crewed mission around the Moon in more than 50 years. According to the figures published with the announcement, the crew travelled 252,756 miles from Earth, further than any humans before them, and flew a total of 694,841 miles. Orion re-entered the atmosphere at 24,664 mph and splashed down within a mile of its planned target.
The crew also became the first people since the Apollo era to see the far side of the Moon with their own eyes.
Mercedes in the numbers
The timing suits a team that has had a strong season on track. Mercedes has won 11 of the 17 races so far in 2026: eight for Kimi Antonelli and three for George Russell. Antonelli leads the championship and can clinch the title in Austin, which makes this a weekend with plenty of attention on the team.
The United States Grand Prix starts on Sunday 25 October at 20:00 UTC, round 18 of 23.
The team has not said when Wiseman will first appear in his new role.
Sources
Topics: Mercedes, Reid Wiseman, Kimi Antonelli
