Red Bull has poached Mercedes driver scout Gwen Lagrue, who helped discover Formula 1 championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli, as reported by [Crash.net](https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1101513/1/red-bulls-new-helmut-marko-mercedes-driver-scout-switches-f1-rival).
The 50-year-old Frenchman, currently head of the Mercedes driver development programme, is joining rival Red Bull in a similar role. Lagrue will essentially take over the position previously held by Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who left the team at the end of last season. He will become head of Red Bull's junior driver programme, though no start date has been agreed yet.
Lagrue has worked with Mercedes for a decade and was key in unearthing several talents. George Russell was the first signing made after Lagrue was appointed in early 2017, before being promoted to Mercedes in 2022. Antonelli was signed when he was 11 years old and still racing in go-karts, fast-tracked into an F1 drive in 2025 as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton who moved to Ferrari. Antonelli currently leads the championship with six wins in the first 10 races.
