Irish teenager Alex Dunne made a remarkable debut for McLaren in Friday`s practice session at the Austrian Grand Prix, a performance that has fueled speculation about a potential Formula 1 seat in 2026.
Replacing Lando Norris for the mandatory rookie session, the 19-year-old finished an impressive fourth, just shy of teammate Oscar Piastri`s time. This was particularly notable as rookie drivers often lag significantly behind the established pace.
“I want to say a massive thank you, you made a little boy’s dream come true. This is definitely the best day of my life,” Dunne said over the radio. “Thank you everyone for letting me do this and thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car. It means a lot.”
Who is Alex Dunne?
Born in Ireland in 2005, Alex Dunne quickly progressed through the junior ranks. He moved into Formula 4 at 15, dominating the British series in 2022 and finishing as runner-up in Italian F4 the same year. After placing second in the GB3 Championship in 2023 and a challenging F3 stint, he was signed by McLaren in May 2024 and stepped up to F2 with Rodin Motorsport this season.
Despite not being initially tipped as a title contender, he currently leads the F2 standings thanks to two feature race victories (Bahrain, Imola) and two additional podium finishes.
His season included a difficult moment in Monaco where he was involved in a Turn 1 pile-up, leading to significant online criticism. Dunne described receiving “really bad and quite upsetting” messages, prompting him to delete social media from his phone.
However, he showed resilience, recovering from a grid penalty in Spain to charge from 19th to second in the Sprint race and finishing fifth in the feature race, maintaining his F2 championship lead.
Dunne `Very Pleased` with F1 Outing
McLaren ran Dunne on the hard tyres before switching to used softs for his faster run. He was pleased with his performance, stating it was “not a bad lap” given the tyre condition and that he learned effectively. He emphasized his satisfaction with having a “clean session” with no errors or issues, noting the team`s preparation was invaluable.
“It was not a bad lap. It was not new soft tyres too, so there are a lot of positives to take,” Dunne said. “Of course, if I got in the car again I would get quicker and quicker. I put the lap together pretty well and put what I learned from the session to maximise what I needed to learn. The team helped me massively to prepare for this, so that made it a lot easier for me.”
“Regardless of the performance and pace at the end, I’m just more pleased it was a clean session. There were no mishaps, I didn’t get in anyone’s way. All the stuff we needed to test at the beginning all went smoothly and to plan. From that side I was very happy.”
Norris Impressed by Dunne
Lando Norris observed the session and wasn`t negatively impacted by yielding his seat, praising Dunne`s smooth operation and helpful feedback. Norris went on to top FP2 himself, saying the car felt good “from the off” and acknowledging Dunne was “on the pace straightaway”.
Team Principal Andrea Stella confirmed Dunne executed the planned test program diligently, including evaluating upgrades. Stella described Dunne as “diligent and impressive” and acknowledged his speed, though cautioning that his fastest time was set with lower fuel later in the run. Overall, Stella found the session “encouraging and impressive” for Dunne and positive for the team.
Chandhok: McLaren Should Make a Deal with Cadillac
With Norris and Piastri contracted through 2026, McLaren doesn`t currently have an F1 seat for Dunne. However, parallels can be drawn to Oliver Bearman`s path, who secured a Haas seat after impressing in practice sessions. Formula 1 analyst Karun Chandhok suggested McLaren should consider loaning Dunne to an incoming team like Cadillac, expected to join in 2026.
Chandhok believes Dunne`s performance, F2 leadership, and testing potential warrant securing him a seat elsewhere to gain experience, keeping him “on some sort of a tether” for a potential future return, similar to Mercedes` management of George Russell.
“If I was McLaren now, I’d be trying to do a deal with Cadillac or someone like that to farm him out,” Chandhok said. “Based on everything he’s shown. He’s the leader of the F2 championship. They’ve seen potential in testing, we are seeing it publicly today. You want to find him a seat somewhere to build up some racing experience. I’d be trying to get him a deal somewhere else for a period of time.”
“Farm him out, have him on some sort of a tether that they can pull him back in, in the way that Mercedes have done with George Russell in the past.”
