Mercedes has announced the departure of young driver guru Gwen Lagrue, with the Frenchman officially joining Red Bull as its Formula 1 junior programme director.
As previously reported by Autosport, over the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, long-standing junior driver guru Lagrue is joining the Red Bull F1 team in a similar role to the one he held at Mercedes. On Monday afternoon Mercedes officially confirmed on its social media channels that Lagrue would be departing the Silver Arrows.
“Thank you Gwen. It’s been a great ride together,” Mercedes wrote in its farewell message. “Together, we’ve developed many young drivers, including our current F1 drivers George and Kimi, and you’ve made a fantastic contribution.
“We have built a true successor to the original Mercedes-Benz junior team, and you leave in place a talented group to carry on this work. Professional relationships may come to an end, but we will always remain friends, with a shared mindset. We wish you well for your next challenge.”
Soon after, Red Bull officially confirmed Lagrue’s arrival, naming him the organisation’s director of the Red Bull junior programme, where he will report to team principal and CEO Laurent Mekies, and fill the void created by long-time driver advisor Helmut Marko’s retirement at the end of last year.
“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,” said Mekies. “The Red Bull Junior Programme has always been a cornerstone of Red Bull’s success, and having Gwen lead it soon reflects the importance we continue to place on developing the next generation of F1 talent.
Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal and General Manager, Scuderia Ferrari, Gwen Lagrue, Mercedes Driver Development Advisor, Laurent Mekies, Team Principal, RB F1 Team
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
“We want to recognise another time today the extraordinary contribution Helmut Marko has made over more than two decades creating and leading the Junior Programme. The Junior Programme has become the benchmark in F1 because of his vision, commitment and ability to identify and develop exceptional talents and he deserves enormous credit for that.”
Lagrue added: “Joining Oracle Red Bull Racing marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for me. After eleven memorable years at Mercedes, I felt this was the right moment to take on a new challenge and continue growing personally and professionally.
“The Red Bull Junior Programme is one of the most respected and successful driver development programmes in motorsport. 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.”
Under Lagrue’s tenure, Mercedes brought the likes of Esteban Ocon and George Russell to F1 through the Mercedes junior programme.
Kimi Antonelli, who was spotted by Lagrue in karting at the age of 11, was the latest prospect that Mercedes fast-tracked through the single-seater ranks, culminating in an F1 debut at the age of 18 and title winning form in his sophomore year this season.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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