Red Bull confirm Gwen Lagrue to lead junior driver programme from 2027

Red Bull have confirmed the appointment of Gwen Lagrue, the Mercedes driver development adviser credited with spotting Kimi Antonelli, as director of their junior programme. The Frenchman will take up the role in 2027 after Mercedes agreed to release him from his existing contract.

Red Bull announced the signing in a statement on Monday, formalising a move first reported by BBC Sport earlier in the month. The 50-year-old has effectively been recruited to succeed Helmut Marko, the Austrian former F1 driver who stepped back from his long-standing role as Red Bull's motorsport adviser at the end of last season.

What Red Bull said

Team principal Laurent Mekies described Lagrue as one of the strongest talent developers in the paddock and said the appointment underlined how much weight Red Bull still place on bringing young drivers through. Mekies also paid tribute to Marko, highlighting his contribution over more than two decades in building and leading the junior programme and his ability to identify and develop exceptional drivers.

Lagrue called the Red Bull Junior Programme one of the most respected and successful in motorsport, saying it was the right moment for a new challenge after 11 years at Mercedes and that he was honoured to lead the group into its next chapter.

Key points

• Lagrue joins Red Bull as director of the junior programme in 2027
• He spent 11 years at Mercedes as driver development adviser
• He was involved in discovering Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli
• The role is effectively the one vacated by Helmut Marko
• Mercedes will cover his duties through a reshuffle of its existing young-driver setup

Why it matters

Red Bull's junior pipeline is one of the most productive in F1, having produced four-time champion Sebastian Vettel and eight-time race winner Daniel Ricciardo. Current Williams drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz also came through the scheme, although Albon was dropped in 2016 and later received personal support from Lagrue before returning for his F1 debut in 2019.

For Mercedes, the change means reorganising a young-driver programme widely regarded as the most effective on the grid, with Bradley Lord, already involved in the setup, part of that adjustment. Lagrue's arrival at Red Bull will not take effect until 2027, leaving both teams to manage the transition across the coming season.