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Italian Formula One driver Kimi Antonelli of the team Mercedes arrives at the Hungaroring in Mogyorod, ahead of the 2026 Hungarian Formula One Grand Prix. David Davies/PA Wire/dpa
The man who discovered championship leader Kimi Antonelli and other Formula One stars, Gwen Lagrue, is leaving his post as head of Mercedes' junior programme and will start in a similar position at Red Bull next year.
"Thank you Gwen. It’s been a great ride together," Mercedes said on Monday on X. "Professional relationships may come to an end, but we will always remain friends, with a shared mindset."
Frenchman Lagrue was at Mercedes for 11 years and helped develop drivers including Antonelli, the other team driver George Russell as well as Alex Albon of Williams and Haas driver Esteban Ocon.
"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," Mercedes said.
At Red Bull, he will be director of their junior programme from 2027 onwards as a successor of sorts of Helmut Marko, who had supported eventual world champions Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen before stepping down at the end of the 2025 season.
"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," Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said in a team statement on X.
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