Red Bull has confirmed the signing of Gwen Lagrue from Mercedes as the new director of its junior programme, replacing Helmut Marko who departed at the end of 2025.
Lagrue, who spent 11 years at Mercedes, was the driving force behind the team's young driver pipeline. His most notable discovery is Andrea Kimi Antonelli — now leading the Formula 1 world championship standings at the wheel of a Mercedes — but his influence extended across multiple junior categories where he identified and nurtured some of the sport's brightest prospects.
The announcement came on Monday 27 July, less than an hour after Mercedes confirmed Lagrue's departure from the Silver Arrows. He will officially take up his new role at the Red Bull Junior Programme in 2027.
"The Red Bull Junior Programme is one of the most respected and successful driver development programmes in motorsport," Lagrue said. "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. I'm looking forward to working closely with Laurent as well as the entire team."
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies described Lagrue as "one of the very best talent developers in F1", adding that his arrival reflects the team's commitment to strengthening its high-performance organisation. "I know first-hand the expertise, leadership and passion he brings to developing young drivers," Mekies said.
Marko, who ran Red Bull's junior academy for more than two decades and helped launch the careers of Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, and numerous other world champions, was praised by the team for his "extraordinary contribution". Mekies made a point of recognising Marko's legacy, calling the programme he built "the benchmark in F1".
Lagrue's arrival signals a fresh chapter for Red Bull as the team looks to continue identifying and preparing the next generation of race winners and world champions. His experience at Mercedes — spanning over a decade of scouting and driver development — will be central to that mission.
Sources
- https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1101957/1/red-bull-poaches-mercedes-f1-driver-scout-helmut-markos-successor
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/articles/cvg7kdnv4p2o
