Why is Mercedes not yet satisfied with two drivers from its own academy in F1?

20:00, 05 Jun

Updated: 20:15, 05 Jun

byTim Kraaij

With two drivers from its own academy, most F1 training programs would be satisfied, but that is not the case for Mercedes. In an exclusive interview with GPblog, Gwen Lagrue explains what the big goal of the training program is.

In Formula 1, every team now has its own development program. Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, and Alpine all have their own talent academies. At first glance, however, one stands out as particularly successful: Mercedes'. In 2025, the German team will be racing with two homegrown talents in Formula 1.

Why does Mercedes have a Junior Team?

'We started to have some discussion in 2015 with Toto (Wolff, ed.) and we have decided to reborn the Junior Program in January 2016 because it's part of Mercedes history. It has been the case in the past with Schumacher, Frenzel, Wendlinger, etc. So it's in our DNA to support young talents and young drivers,' began Lagrue on why there is a Mercedes training program.

'We always had in mind that we have to prepare the next step after Lewis and Nico at that time and then Valterri. So that's the reason why we have decided to reborn the program in 2016.'

And that gives a glimpse into the mind of the big man behind the success of the Mercedes training program. Gwen Lagrue, Mercedes-Benz Driver Development Advisor, is essentially the Helmut Marko of Mercedes, but with a slightly different character and background.

Because Lagrue is far from new to the world of developing young talent. Before his time at Mercedes, Lagrue was already active as a driver coach and was the leader of the Lotus junior program. At Lotus, Lagrue worked with Alexander Albon, after he was dropped by the Red Bull Junior Team.

Who is Gwen Lagrue?

''I have a huge passion for motorsport and also young drivers. I did race myself but I was not good enough, I was actually very bad. But I understood very quickly how everything was organized and structured and what was missing around drivers and what was necessary to organize and to develop to guide them through from a go-kart to a Formula One.''

''Kimi's having the benefit of everything we learned over the years. And of course when you learn, you make some mistakes and you don't always make the right decision at the right time. So you learn from it and with the target of optimizing every area.''

''For me, first it came because of huge passion for motorsport and also I have a huge passion to support, to help and to guide young drivers. And what is for us, I think, different or something I really like is to think it's a tailor-made program because each driver is different and each driver requires a tailor-made strategy and approach.''

This unique way of working is what distinguishes the Mercedes Junior Team from other training programs. It's not just about the speed and performance of talents, but also about the picture behind it. Who are the parents of the driver, where does he or she live, who influences the talent? Everything is weighed in by Mercedes' tailored program.

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Gwen Lagrue

What is the method of the Mercedes training?

''If you consider that each person is different, each driver is different, and it's very, very clear to me and for my team also, what works with George cannot be applied for Kimi or for Vesti or Alex Powell. They have different needs, they have different cultures.''

''They have different approaches and you need to adapt yourself and you need to adapt your strategy to them. Some have more maturity than others, some during their life are affected by different events. So you have to be ready to cover any situation and any scenario. That's why I'm calling this tailor-made because you cannot apply the same method and strategy from one driver to all the others.''

With two drivers in the Mercedes Formula 1 team, many would say, 'Great, my work is done.' However, this does not apply to Lagrue. In previous interviews, Lagrue sometimes noted that he is not satisfied even with two drivers in Formula 1. Asked why the goal has not yet been achieved, he ambitiously states:

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell at the F1 75-launch

The goal of Mercedes and Lagrue

''We can say, 'yeah, we have now two of four juniors in F1.' But that can't be a target. The right target is to make sure one of these two or the two of them will be world champion with us.''

''And for me, the only target we can have when we're in motorsport can't be different in go-kart, in F4, in FRECA, in F3: We are doing this to win and to be world champions or to win the series. So at the moment, it's just a step. I see it as a step. Okay, fine, we have two drivers here, but now as a team, we need to win with them, and we need to be world champions with them.''

'So the journey is still long. At least, I hope not too long (laughs), but we cannot be satisfied with just providing young talents for our racing team. Of course, that is positive and a reward for the strategy we have implemented over the years and the work we have put in. However, the ultimate goal has not yet been achieved.'

''The journey is still long. Well, I hope it will be not too long, (he laughs) but we can't be just satisfied because we have to offer young junior drivers racing for the team. It's good. Of course, it's positive. And of course, that is a kind of reward of all the. 119:09strategy we have put in place over the years, and the invest we have done over the years, and the work we have done over the years. But the final target is not just to have two of our junior drivers in F1.''

Want to read more about the Mercedes training program? GPblog spoke to Lagrue also about the specific age when Mercedes starts scouting, in what ways Mercedes distinguishes itself from other training programs, and that Mercedes hopes to finally get a woman in F1 with a new talent. Read more soon on GPblog.com!