Red Bull makes new announcement after Hungarian Grand Prix

Red Bull has found its successor to Helmut Marko after poaching a key figure from its rival Mercedes.

Red Bull has confirmed that Gwen Lagrue will arrive in Milton Keynes in 2027, taking on the position of Director of the Red Bull Junior Programme. Lagrue oversaw the journeys of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli from Mercedes juniors to F1 drivers, as he prepares for a new chapter at Red Bull.

Red Bull announces Gwen Lagrue signing from Mercedes

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.

Formerly headed by Helmut Marko, the Red Bull system has introduced a plethora of racing stars into Formula 1.

It produced four-time world champions Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel. Grand Prix winners Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly also feature among the glowing list of graduates.

From 2027, Lagrue will take over at the helm of the Red Bull Junior Programme, after Mercedes confirmed the departure of its long-serving junior head.

Lagrue will join the Red Bull leadership team in 2027, his role seeing him report into Red Bull Racing team principal Laurent Mekies.

In reacting to Lagrue’s impending arrival, Mekies paid tribute to Marko, who departed Red Bull at the end of 2025.

“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.

“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.

“As we continue to build the next chapter of Oracle Red Bull Racing, attracting leaders of Gwen’s calibre is fundamental to achieving our ambitions.

“We’re strengthening our high-performance organisation with outstanding people in every part of the business, and Gwen is an important addition of that journey. Together, we will build on an incredibly strong foundation while continuing to evolve the programme for the future.”

Go deeper: Latest F1 analysis

Hungarian GP conclusions: Norris afterglow, Piastri the nearly man, Newey insult

Hungarian GP 2026 driver ratings: Norris delivers as Sainz hands Piastri nightmare blow

Lagrue said: “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.

“I’m looking forward to working closely with Laurent as well as the entire team and I am very thankful for this opportunity.

“Together, we have a fantastic framework to build on the programme’s remarkable legacy, continue to evolve it for the future, and identify, develop and prepare the next generation of F1 race winners and World Champions, following a pattern Oracle Red Bull Racing has successfully repeated over the past 20 years.”

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read next: ‘Morons’ – Max Verstappen demands double FIA penalty in untelevised team radio