Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Edition

Global Global

Alex Dunne to make F1 practice debut with McLaren at Austrian GP

McLaren development driver Alex Dunne will make his F1 debut with an FP1 outing for the team at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix

Second place Alex Dunne, Rodin Motorsport

Formula 2 championship leader Alex Dunne will make his Formula 1 free practice debut with McLaren at the Austrian Grand Prix, taking Lando Norris' seat for Friday's FP1 session.

The Irishman is in his first F2 season, having stepped up to the series with Rodin after a single season of F3. This continues his rapid progression through the junior series ranks, in which he won 2022's British F4 championship - he dovetailed this with a season in Italian F4, where he finished second to Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

This preceded his step up to the GB3 Championship, where he finished as runner up in 2023. He joined McLaren's young driver scheme in 2024, where he also serves as a reserve driver for the brand's Formula E project.

With two feature race wins, Dunne currently sits three points ahead of F2 series veteran Richard Verschoor; although responsible for a pile-up at this year's Monaco feature race, he bounced back at Barcelona to retake the championship lead.

The Offaly-born driver has also driven McLaren's 2023 car at Zandvoort as part of its testing of previous cars (TPC) programme.

"I’ve been preparing well for the sessions, taking part in Testing of Previous Cars tests in the MCL60 and spending time on the simulator, which has been a fantastic learning experience," said Dunne.

Alex Dunne, Rodin Motorsport

Alex Dunne, Rodin Motorsport

Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd

"Thank you to Zak [Brown], Andrea [Stella] and Alessandro [Alunni Bravi] for their faith in me. It’s a great step within my development with the McLaren Driver Development Programme, and I’m really excited to join the team trackside."

Stella added: "It’s great to be able to give Alex the opportunity to run in FP1, and for him to get valuable time behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car as part of his development.

"The team are pleased to be working with him more closely, and for his support across the weekend, where he will be providing useful feedback to help with the car’s set-up.

Read Also:

"The rookie sessions are fantastic for seeing the talent of tomorrow and enabling that rare chance to get time in a current car, so we look forward to seeing him on track."

Dunne's F2 rival and Ferrari junior Dino Beganovic will also join the FP1 proceedings in Austria, taking Charles Leclerc's seat for the session.

The Swede will make his second appearance in lieu of Leclerc; with updates to the FP1 regulations for 2025, each race driver must now sit out two rounds each. He took the Monegasque's seat in Bahrain, where he placed 14th in the times.

In this article
Be the first to know and subscribe for real-time news email updates on these topics
Previous article Valtteri Bottas pokes fun at Cadillac F1 rumours in new video
Next article Gordon Murray reveals cancer diagnosis as he opens up on robotic keyhole surgery

Top Comments

Recommended for you

Winners and losers of IndyCar Snap-On Milwaukee Mile 250

Winners and losers of IndyCar Snap-On Milwaukee Mile 250

IndyCar
Milwaukee
Winners and losers of IndyCar Snap-On Milwaukee Mile 250
'We don't want a chess game' - FIA responds to claims F1’s 2026 cars are too complex

'We don't want a chess game' - FIA responds to claims F1’s 2026 cars are too complex

Formula 1
'We don't want a chess game' - FIA responds to claims F1’s 2026 cars are too complex
Denny Hamlin fires back after Mamba Smith's Daytona prank in viral X social media exchange

Denny Hamlin fires back after Mamba Smith's Daytona prank in viral X social media exchange

NASCAR Cup
Daytona II
Denny Hamlin fires back after Mamba Smith's Daytona prank in viral X social media exchange
Ryan Blaney responds to Alex Bowman's promise of "seven million beers" with counter-offer

Ryan Blaney responds to Alex Bowman's promise of "seven million beers" with counter-offer

NASCAR Cup
Daytona II
Ryan Blaney responds to Alex Bowman's promise of "seven million beers" with counter-offer
Leigh Diffey confronts criticism after Daytona regular season finale

Leigh Diffey confronts criticism after Daytona regular season finale

NASCAR Cup
Daytona II
Leigh Diffey confronts criticism after Daytona regular season finale
Alexander Rossi thrilled for ECR’s Milwaukee success after “missed opportunities”

Alexander Rossi thrilled for ECR’s Milwaukee success after “missed opportunities”

IndyCar
Milwaukee
Alexander Rossi thrilled for ECR’s Milwaukee success after “missed opportunities”
Denny Hamlin says Bubba Wallace at fault for pileup crash: "Not clear"

Denny Hamlin says Bubba Wallace at fault for pileup crash: "Not clear"

NASCAR Cup
Daytona II
Denny Hamlin says Bubba Wallace at fault for pileup crash: "Not clear"
Christian Rasmussen steals maiden IndyCar win after late weather caution

Christian Rasmussen steals maiden IndyCar win after late weather caution

IndyCar
Milwaukee
Christian Rasmussen steals maiden IndyCar win after late weather caution

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Edition

Global Global
Filters