JULY 27, 2026

Red Bull confirms Lagrue appointment

Red Bull has confirmed that Mercedes junior programme chief Gwen Lagrue will join the Formula 1 team in 2027, one week after GrandPrix.com reported that negotiations over the move were taking place.

Lagrue has been appointed director of the Red Bull Junior Programme and will report directly to CEO and Team Principal Laurent Mekies. He will also become a member of the team’s leadership group.

GrandPrix.com reported on July 20 that Lagrue was in talks to leave Mercedes and take control of Red Bull’s driver-development system. At the time, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff confirmed that discussions about the Frenchman’s future were underway but said an agreement had not been completed.

Lagrue remained under contract with Mercedes, and talks were focused on arranging his departure. It was already expected that he would be unable to begin working for Red Bull before 2027.

The agreement has now been formally announced, with Lagrue set to oversee the identification, development and progression of Red Bull’s next generation of racing drivers.

“Gwen is one of the very best talent developers in F1, and I know first-hand the expertise, leadership and passion he brings to developing young drivers,” Mekies said.

“The Red Bull Junior Programme has always been a cornerstone of Red Bull’s success, and having Gwen lead it reflects the importance we continue to place on developing the next generation of F1 talent.”

Lagrue spent 11 years at Mercedes and helped build the structure that produced drivers including George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. Wolff said last week that Lagrue had assembled a strong team and stressed that Mercedes’ junior operation was bigger than any one individual.

At Red Bull, Lagrue will take charge of a programme that was created and led for more than two decades by Helmut Marko. Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Isack Hadjar are among the drivers to have progressed through the system.

Mekies again acknowledged Marko’s role, saying the Austrian deserved “enormous credit” for making the programme a Formula 1 benchmark.

Lagrue said the move represented the right moment to accept a new professional challenge.

“The Red Bull Junior Programme is one of the most respected and successful driver development programmes in motorsport,” he said.

“It has produced some of the greatest talents F1 has ever seen, and it is a real honour to have the opportunity to lead such a talented group of people and help shape its next chapter.”

His recruitment is another element of Red Bull’s organisational rebuilding under Mekies, who said attracting senior figures of Lagrue’s calibre was fundamental to the team’s future ambitions.