Red Bull have secured a major addition to their Formula 1 structure by recruiting Mercedes driver development adviser Gwen Lagrue, the man widely credited with helping identify and nurture several of the sport’s leading young talents, including current championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
The 50-year-old Frenchman is set to oversee Red Bull’s driver development programme, effectively taking on responsibilities previously held by Helmut Marko, who stepped away from his long-standing motorsport adviser position at the end of last year.
Neither Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies nor Lagrue commented on the move. Mercedes also initially declined to respond, although team principal Toto Wolff later confirmed discussions about Lagrue’s future were ongoing after the Belgian Grand Prix.
Wolff praised Lagrue’s work in building Mercedes’ junior programme, describing it as a well-established operation involving up to 10 specialists dedicated to identifying talent from the earliest stages of karting. He added that the team is evaluating how the programme will evolve, particularly following Bradley Lord’s recent promotion to deputy team principal.
The timing of Lagrue’s switch remains uncertain as Mercedes and Red Bull continue negotiating his release from his existing contract. Mercedes are expected to cover his departure through internal restructuring rather than appointing a direct replacement.
For Red Bull, the appointment represents another step in rebuilding its organisation after losing several senior figures in recent years. Design legend Adrian Newey departed for Aston Martin, strategy chief Will Courtenay agreed a move to McLaren, while head of racing Gianpiero Lambiase is also set to join the Woking-based team by 2028.
The Milton Keynes outfit believes Lagrue’s arrival strengthens its ambition to restore its junior driver programme to its former status as one of Formula 1’s leading talent academies while demonstrating it can continue attracting high-profile personnel from rival teams.
Lagrue joined Mercedes a decade ago and quickly played a key role in shaping the team’s young driver system. One of his earliest recruits was George Russell, who famously convinced Toto Wolff to sign him with a presentation outlining why he deserved a place in the programme. Russell progressed through the junior ranks, debuted in Formula 1 with Williams in 2019, and graduated to Mercedes in 2022.
Perhaps Lagrue’s greatest success has been Kimi Antonelli. Mercedes signed the Italian when he was just 11 years old, guiding him through an accelerated development path before promoting him to replace Lewis Hamilton following the seven-time world champion’s move to Ferrari ahead of the 2025 season.
Antonelli has rapidly established himself as one of Formula 1’s brightest stars. Now in his second full campaign, the 19-year-old has claimed six victories from the opening 10 Grands Prix of the season and leads the drivers’ standings by 45 points over Hamilton after the Belgian Grand Prix.
Lagrue also helped oversee the careers of Esteban Ocon, who remained under Mercedes management throughout spells with Manor, Force India, Renault/Alpine and Haas, as well as current reserve driver Frederik Vesti.
Beyond Mercedes, Lagrue also supported Alex Albon after the Thai-British driver was released from Red Bull’s junior programme in 2016, providing career guidance and helping him secure funding before Albon eventually returned to the Red Bull family for his Formula 1 debut with Toro Rosso in 2019.