Gwen Lagrue, the Mercedes driver scout responsible for discovering Kimi Antonelli at age 11, is leaving the Brackley squad to join Red Bull, where he will lead the team's driver development programme — essentially replacing Helmut Marko.
The 50-year-old Frenchman, who has worked for Mercedes for a decade, has been recruited as a successor to Marko, who retired from his long-time role as Red Bull's motorsport adviser at the end of 2025.
Lagrue's eye for talent has shaped the current F1 grid. He signed George Russell after the Briton famously pitched himself to Toto Wolff with a PowerPoint presentation, oversaw Esteban Ocon's development through the Mercedes junior programme, and managed Frederik Vesti's career. Lagrue also personally supported Alex Albon when he was dropped by Marko from Red Bull's programme in 2016.
"We're in discussions with Gwen about the future, but nothing's been agreed or decided yet," said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff after BBC Sport's story broke following the Belgian Grand Prix. "Gwen has built up a fantastic team, we're about seven, eight or nine people that are running the junior programme going forward. We want to do it together with Gwen."
For Red Bull, Lagrue's signing is a significant coup, particularly after a period of high-profile departures. Chief technical officer Adrian Newey moved to Aston Martin, head of strategy Will Courtenay joined McLaren, and head of racing Gianpiero Lambiase is set to depart by 2028.
It remains unclear when Lagrue will be free to take up his new role. Mercedes and Red Bull are negotiating the terms of his contractual release. At Mercedes, his responsibilities will likely be covered through an internal restructuring of the young driver programme, widely regarded as the most effective in Formula 1.
Sources
- BBC Sport — Mercedes driver scout Lagrue joining Red Bull: https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/articles/cvg7kdnv4p2o
