Former Haas Components 1 workforce principal Guenther Steiner has praised Purple Bull’s latest appointment of Gwen Lagrue to go up its junior driver programme, suggesting the transfer is a giant step in sustaining the pipeline established by Helmut Marko.
Following the departure of long-time motorsport adviser Marko on the finish of the 2025 season, the longer term path of the Purple Bull junior driver programme had turn out to be a speaking level inside the paddock. However the Milton Keynes outfit lately confirmed it had lured Lagrue away from Mercedes, with the Frenchman set to imagine the position of director of the Purple Bull junior programme in 2027.
Lagrue spent over a decade with the Brackley outfit, establishing himself as one in all F1’s main expertise builders. Throughout his tenure with the Silver Arrows, he performed an instrumental position in figuring out the likes of George Russell and present championship chief Kimi Antonelli.
Throughout an look on The Purple Flags Podcast, Steiner endorsed the choice, commending Purple Bull workforce principal Laurent Mekies for efficiently securing Lagrue.
Max Verstappen, Purple Bull Racing
Photograph by: Steven Tee / LAT Pictures by way of Getty Pictures
“I used to be fairly stunned that he is leaving Mercedes. They should have made him an excellent supply as a result of he is very near the blokes [there],” Steiner mentioned.
“I believe he is [great at] recognizing expertise and figuring out what is going on on in all of the collection. Gwen has been doing it longer than anyone else. Subsequently, he has obtained that benefit, and he is aware of what he is searching for. So completely, that was an excellent rent by Laurent [Mekies] to get Gwen there for the longer term.”
A number of F1 drivers have risen by means of the ranks as a part of the Purple Bull junior programme, together with four-time champions Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel, present Williams drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, eight-time grand prix winner Daniel Ricciardo, present Alpine driver Pierre Gasly and Verstappen’s team-mate Isack Hadjar.
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