Red Bull have confirmed the appointment of Gwen Lagrue as their new junior driver programme director. The Frenchman, who has been a long-serving stalwart of the Mercedes setup and played a key role in developing George Russell and his team-mate Kimi Antonelli over the years, has taken on a new role.
Mercedes confirmed his exit in a social media post on Monday. It read: “Thank you Gwen. It’s been a great ride. Together, we’ve developed many young drivers, including our current F1 drivers George and Kimi, and you’ve made a fantastic contribution. We have built a true successor to the original Mercedes-Benz junior team, and you leave in place a talented group to carry on this work. Professional relationships may come to an end, but we will always remain friends, with a shared mindset. We wish you well for your next challenge.”
It was reported over the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend that Lagrue would be heading to Red Bull. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said prior to the Budapes weekend that he was “in discussions with Gwen about the future”, but added: “Nothing has been agreed or decided yet.”
But the final details have now clearly been ironed out as, not long after Mercedes’ social media post, Red Bull confirmed their new signing will begin work in 2027. Lagrue is essentially the successor to Helmut Marko who was in charge of their young drivers for 20 years until his departure at the end of last season.
Red Bull said Lagrue would be “responsible for leading the Red Bull junior programme, overseeing the identification, development and progression of the next generation of F1 talent”. His track record on that front is strong, given both Russell and Antonelli have landed Mercedes race seats and won multiple races each. Esteban Ocon is another F1 race-winner who came through Mercedes’ system under his guidance.
Lagrue will report directly to team principal and chief executive Laurent Mekies, who said of his fellow Frenchman: “Gwen is one of the very best talent developers in F1 and I know first-hand the expertise, leadership and passion he brings to developing young drivers.
“The Red Bull Junior Programme has always been a cornerstone of Red Bull’s success, and having Gwen lead it soon reflects the importance we continue to place on developing the next generation of F1 talent. The Junior Programme has become the benchmark in F1 because of Helmut Marko’s vision, commitment and ability to identify and develop exceptional talents and he deserves enormous credit for that.
“As we continue to build the next chapter of Oracle Red Bull Racing, attracting leaders of Gwen’s calibre is fundamental to achieving our ambitions. We’re strengthening our high-performance organisation with outstanding people in every part of the business, and Gwen is an important addition of that journey. Together, we will build on an incredibly strong foundation while continuing to evolve the programme for the future.”
And Lagrue said: “Joining Oracle Red Bull Racing marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for me. 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.
“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. I’m looking forward to working closely with Laurent as well as the entire Team and I am very thankful for this opportunity.”