Red Bull has officially confirmed the signing of Gwen Lagrue from Mercedes to lead its junior programme, a move that effectively appoints the successor to long-serving motorsport adviser Helmut Marko.
Lagrue, 50, spent 11 years at Mercedes as driver development adviser, building a reputation as one of Formula 1's finest talent spotters. His most high-profile discovery is Kimi Antonelli, the 19-year-old Mercedes driver who currently leads the F1 world championship — signed by Lagrue when he was just 11 years old and racing in go-karts.
The Frenchman's move to Red Bull was first reported by BBC Sport earlier this month. Lagrue will take up his role as director of the Red Bull Junior Programme in 2027, succeeding Marko, who retired from his position as Red Bull's motorsport adviser at the end of 2025.
"After 11 memorable years at Mercedes, I felt this was the right moment to take on a new challenge and continue growing personally and professionally," Lagrue said in a statement. "The Red Bull Junior Programme is one of the most respected and successful driver development programmes in motorsport. It has produced some of the greatest talents F1 has ever seen, and it is a real honour to have the opportunity to lead such a talented group of people and help shape its next chapter."
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies welcomed the appointment, describing Lagrue as "one of the very best talent developers in F1" and praising his "expertise, leadership and passion" for developing young drivers.
The Red Bull junior programme has produced multiple world champions including Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo. Current F1 drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz also graduated through the system.
Mercedes, meanwhile, will not directly replace Lagrue. Instead, the team will redistribute responsibilities within its existing young-driver programme, which currently involves around ten people monitoring junior categories from karting upwards. Bradley Lord, recently promoted to deputy team principal from communications director, will take on additional oversight.
Beyond Antonelli, Lagrue's legacy at Mercedes includes signing George Russell — the Briton famously approached team principal Toto Wolff with a PowerPoint presentation to argue his case — and supporting the careers of Esteban Ocon and Frederik Vesti.
Sources
- https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1101957/1/red-bull-poaches-mercedes-f1-driver-scout-helmut-markos-successor
- https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/articles/cvg7kdnv4p2o
