Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Red Bull is set to hand control of its driver development programme to Mercedes talent chief Gwen Lagrue, in a significant move to replace the influence Helmut Marko long held over one of the team’s most important competitive pillars.
Multiple reports, including BBC Sport, Autosport and Motorsport.com, say Lagrue is leaving Mercedes after about a decade to take a similar role at Red Bull. No start date has been confirmed, though, because Red Bull and Mercedes are still negotiating terms for his release from his existing contract.
That makes the appointment important well beyond a staffing change. Red Bull’s junior system was central to the team’s identity under Marko, helping shape the Formula 1 paths of drivers including Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz. Replacing that oversight means deciding who will shape Red Bull’s next generation of talent and, by extension, its future options for Racing Bulls and the senior team.
Lagrue arrives with a strong record in exactly that area. At Mercedes, he oversaw one of the paddock’s most effective junior programmes, with George Russell one of the early major signings under his direction and Kimi Antonelli identified when he was 11 years old. Before the Belgian Grand Prix, Antonelli was leading the 2026 championship in his second Formula 1 season with five wins and six pole positions from 10 grands prix, 25 points clear of Russell.
The move has not been officially confirmed. Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies, Mercedes and Lagrue all declined to comment when approached by BBC Sport, and Toto Wolff suggested in Belgium that Mercedes is still trying to determine Lagrue’s future rather than signing off on an exit. Wolff, speaking to media including RacingNews365 in Belgium, said: “That is really not true! I’m joking. We are talking with Gwen about the future, but nothing has been agreed or decided. Gwen has built a fantastic team.”
If the deal is completed, Mercedes will have to redistribute Lagrue’s responsibilities within a scouting structure reported to include up to 10 people tracking talent from karting upward. For Red Bull, it would mean putting its post-Marko driver pipeline in the hands of one of Formula 1’s most highly regarded talent selectors.