Red Bull poach high-profile name from Mercedes in major coup

Red Bull has signed Gwen Lagrue from Mercedes as the new head of its driver development programme, RacingNews365 has learned.

Lagrue, who currently holds the equivalent position at the Toto Wolff-led outfit, is highly regarded and has overseen the junior careers of Esteban Ocon, George Russell, and Kimi Antonelli through the feeder ranks and into F1 seats, with the latter two both currently driving for the Silver Arrows.

Frederik Vesti, the team's reserve driver, has also ascended to the F1 paddock under the guidance of the Frenchman, who started his career with Renault, setting up its driver programme, before moving to Mercedes in 2016.

Securing the services of Lagrue is a significant coup for Red Bull, and he represents the first major signing of the Laurent Mekies era.

The pair know each other well, and the move underlines the ambition Red Bull's F1 project retains as it fights its way back to championship-winning contention.

As one of the most respected talent scouts in Formula 1, capturing Lagrue's signature marks a noteworthy shift in Red Bull's strategy, as it looks towards its next chapter in the pinnacle of motorsport.

It shows the team's willingness to not only promote from within, but to recruit from other places within the paddock, something Mekies has highlighted of late.

Lagrue coming to Milton Keynes is a signal of a change in fortunes, and suggests Red Bull will continue to poach high-profile names from within F1 moving forwards.

Much has been made of the so-called brain drain from the energy drinks-backed team over the past couple of years, including the sacking of long-time team principal Christian Horner last July.

The departures continued after the Briton was fired, but this is an important step and the first indication that the six-time constructors' champion has started to arrest that slide and is rebuilding the foundation of the team under Mekies.

Helmut Marko previously held the role and helped guide the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen into F1.