Gwen Lagrue, the man who discovered Kimi Antonelli becomes Director of the Red Bull junior driver program

Lagrue will report directly to Red Bull chief executive and team principal Laurent Mekies and will oversee the identification, development and progression of young drivers through the team’s junior ranks.

The Frenchman spent 11 years at Mercedes, where he became one of Formula 1's leading talent developers and played a central role in the career of Kimi Antonelli.

The Italian progressed through the Mercedes junior system before reaching Formula 1 with the German manufacturer.

“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’s appointment is part of Red Bull’s efforts to strengthen its management structure under Mekies and plan for the longer-term development of the Formula 1 team.

Red Bull also paid tribute to Helmut Marko, who created and led the junior programme for more than two decades and helped bring drivers including Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen into Formula 1.

“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,” Mekies said of Marko.

Lagrue said his move to Red Bull represented a new challenge following more than a decade at Mercedes.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

Lagrue said the programme would continue to focus on identifying and preparing drivers capable of winning races and championships.

“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,” he added.