SerpApi.Org
Toto Wolff has refused to confirm reports that Mercedes talent chief Gwen Lagrue is set to join Red Bull, insisting discussions over his future are still ongoing.
BBC Sport reported at Spa that Lagrue, the Mercedes talent scout who helped discover Kimi Antonelli, would be leaving the Brackley squad to join Red Bull as the next Helmut Marko.
Toto Wolff says Gwen Lagrue’s Mercedes future remains undecided
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.
Lagrue joined Mercedes a decade ago and helped guide several drivers, including George Russell and Antonelli, into Formula 1.
Russell was supported by Mercedes as he completed the junior categories, before joining the F1 grid with Williams in 2019.
He stepped up to the Mercedes F1 team after three seasons on the grid, and claimed his maiden Grand Prix win at the 2022 São Paulo Grand Prix.
As for Antonelli, he was a member of the Mercedes Junior Team since 2019, and came through the Rosberg academy in karts before moving onto KR Motorsport and then stepping up into single-seater racing.
The Italian progressed through the junior ranks and into Formula 2 in 2024, where he finished sixth, before being promoted into Formula 1 with Mercedes.
Lagrue, though, is now reportedly off to Red Bull to become the team’s next Helmut Marko.
Marko left Red Bull at the end of last year, calling time on his two decades as the team’s head of motorsport.
In-depth Belgian GP analysis from PlanetF1.com
How Antonelli outfoxed Leclerc in fascinating Belgian GP energy deployment duel
Winners and losers from the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix
Addressing the Lagrue story, Wolff told PlanetF1.com and other media at Spa: “Yeah, we’re in discussions with Gwen about the future, but nothing’s been agreed or decided yet.
“Gwen has built up a fantastic team. We have about seven, eight or nine people running the junior programme going forward, along with a handful of juniors, and with Bradley [Lord] stepping up as deputy team principal.
“These things need to be worked out now. We want to do it together with Gwen, and then we’ll see.”
According to the BBC, it is unclear when Lagrue will be free to take up his new role.
Mercedes and Red Bull are in the process of negotiating an agreement that would see him released from his existing contract as driver development adviser to the Mercedes F1 team.
His role at Mercedes will likely be filled by a reshuffle of the existing young driver programme.
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: Red Bull finds GianPiero Lambiase replacement after Williams move abandoned
