Toto Wolff confirmed that Mercedes is discussing the future of Gwen Lagrue, responsible for the team’s driver development program. The statement comes amid reports that the French executive may leave Mercedes to take a position at Red Bull.
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Lagrue has been working as a driver development consultant for Mercedes since 2016 and played an important role in the formation of names like Kimi Antonelli and George Russell. According to information released by BBC Sport, Mercedes and Red Bull are negotiating an agreement to release the Frenchman from his current contract.
Red Bull is looking for a replacement for Helmut Marko, who left his role as the team’s motorsport advisor in December 2025. If the hiring is finalized, Lagrue would take a position in a structure recognized for working with young talents, responsible for developing drivers like Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar.
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After the Belgian GP, Wolff commented on the matter and, after initially joking about the rumors, confirmed that there is still no decision. “Yes, we are in discussions with Gwen about the future, but nothing has been agreed or decided so far,” he said.
The Mercedes boss praised the work done by Lagrue and highlighted that the young driver program will continue to be a priority for the team. “Gwen has built a fantastic team. There are seven, eight, or nine of us working on the young driver program, with several talents in development. With Bradley taking on the role of deputy team principal, these responsibilities need to be reorganized. We want to do this together with Gwen. We’ll see what happens,” he concluded.
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