Red Bull has appointed Gwen Lagrue as the director of its junior programme. The move follows the retirement of advisor Helmut Marko at the end of last year. Marko, who had a tenure of over two decades and helped bring 20 drivers into Formula One.
Lagrue joined Mercedes in 2015 after helping establish the Renault driver development programme. During his tenure at Mercedes, he was part of a team of up to 10 people analyzing junior categories. He was instrumental in signing George Russell—who famously presented a PowerPoint to Toto Wolff—and scouting Kimi Antonelli when the Italian was just 11 years old.
Kimi Antonelli, who currently leads George Russell by 25 points with five wins and six poles this season, replaced Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in early 2025. Other drivers supported by Lagrue include Alex Albon, whom Lagrue personally assisted after Albon was dropped from the Red Bull programme in 2016.
Following an agreement between the two teams to release him from his contract, Mercedes will fill Lagrue's role through a reorganization of their existing program. In this reshuffle, Bradley Lord has been promoted from communications director to deputy team principal.
Red Bull's junior programme is noted for producing champions like Sebastian Vettel, as well as current drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz. Team principal Laurent Mekies praised Lagrue’s expertise and leadership, while thanking Marko for his extraordinary contributions.
In a statement regarding the move, Lagrue noted that after 11 years at Mercedes, it was the right time for a new challenge. He described the Red Bull Junior Programme as one of the most respected and successful programs in motorsport.