Irish phenom gets F1 chance in place of Lando Norris

Irish youngster Alex Dunne will get his chance to shine in F1 at next weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, following a recent test in an old McLaren car.

It was confirmed earlier this week that Dunne will take over from Lando Norris for FP1 in Austria, representing his official F1 session debut.

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Dunne is currently atop the F2 drivers' standings after taking two wins and four podiums in his opening 11 races in the series, and the 19-year-old's rise since joining McLaren's driver development programme in 2024 has been sensational.

McLaren offered him the chance to get behind the wheel of an F1 car for the first time back in May, driving the 2023 MCL60 in the Netherlands as part of the testing of previous cars (TPC) programme.

That particular programme was used as preparation time for Dunne, so that McLaren could use him to fill their quota of having rookie drivers taking part in at least two sessions per car throughout 2025, up from one per car in 2024.

In an interview given to McLaren's official website following the test at Zandvoort, Dunne said: "I like to think that I generally adapt to new things pretty quickly, but even so, the step up to a Formula 1 car is not something that you can really prepare yourself for.

"You can drive in the sim, but there’s a lot you don’t get when you’re in the sim - there’s the confidence factor, the G-force, etc.

"So, I expected it to take a little longer to build into the test. But, straight away, I felt quite comfortable in the car, probably by the third lap. It felt pretty natural, and I felt at ease in the car, which made the rest of the day very comfortable.

"I thought that level of comfort would take much longer because of how big the jump is, but straight away, I was already quite close to where I wanted to be. The car inspires confidence because it has so much grip, so it was easier to trust than I expected."

Dunne's early career

Before the Irishman joined McLaren's driver development programme, Dunne had claimed victory in the British F4 Championship, winning 11 races in the series during the 2022 season.

That earned him a promotion up to the GB3 Championship for 2023, where he also excelled before being given a seat in F3 for 2024. It was then that McLaren scouted him and acted quickly to add the talented youngster to their books.

2025 has seen him racing with Rodin Motorsport, and he is slowly putting together a season which may just see him being afforded more F1 opportunities in 2026, currently sat top of the standings.

Dunne has recently been the subject of awful social media abuse, following a turn 1 crash at the Monaco GP with Victor Martins, which led to a huge pile-up into the first corner.

The Irishman received a grid drop penalty to be served in Spain for that incident, but also received abuse on social media, with the 19-year-old revealing that he had to remove all social media apps from his phone in the aftermath of the incident.

However, his scintillating form across the F2 season has now landed him a role in an official timed F1 session, with the 19-year-old set to sit alongside Oscar Piastri for FP1 in Austria.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said of Dunne in an official statement: "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.

"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."

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