Overview
- Mercedes and Red Bull have confirmed that Gwen Lagrue will leave Mercedes and start as director of the Red Bull Junior Programme in 2027.
- Lagrue posted an emotional farewell after 11 seasons at Mercedes, thanking colleagues and prompting public responses from drivers he mentored.
- He is widely credited with identifying or developing drivers including George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, Esteban Ocon and Alexander Albon across his time at Mercedes and with Gravity Sport Management.
- Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies praised Lagrue as one of F1’s best talent developers and former Haas boss Guenther Steiner called the hire a major coup.
- The appointment is presented as a step to fill the gap left by Helmut Marko and could change how young drivers flow between programmes as Mercedes moves to maintain continuity in its own junior set-up.