Lando Norris replacement DISQUALIFIED in post-race Austrian GP drama

Alex Dunne has been disqualified from the F2 feature race at the Austrian Grand Prix, after the Irish driver replaced Lando Norris and delivered an impressive performance on his F1 debut.

The 19-year-old captured the attention of the F1 paddock on Friday at the Red Bull Ring, when he stepped into Norris' car during FP1 and set the fourth fastest time of the session, just seven-hundredths off championship leader Oscar Piastri.

F1 HEADLINES: Lando Norris disqualification verdict announced as FIA confirm race result

However, the young McLaren star soon had to refocus his attention back to the F2 championship, which featured alongside F1 in Austria with a Saturday sprint and Sunday’s feature race.

Dunne finished Saturday’s chaotic sprint race in P6 and originally secured a second place result for the feature race, which rocketed him into the lead of the drivers' standings after the Austrian GP.

The FIA later announced however that the plank underneath Dunne’s Rodin Motorsport car did not comply with the minimum thickness required in the Technical Regulations.

When the car was measured, the plank was found to be below the minimum permitted thickness of 4mm, and Dunne was promptly disqualified from the feature race in Austria.

Dunne has dropped to second in the standings as a result of the points loss, and is 24 points behind championship leader Richard Verschoor.

Who is McLaren star Alex Dunne?

Dunne has been part of McLaren’s driver development programme since 2024, and at the beginning of this year was confirmed as McLaren’s reserve and development driver for their Formula E team.

The 19-year-old has achieved plenty of success in junior racing categories, and was named British F4 champion in 2022, whilst finishing second in GB3 the following year.

His talent in these domestic feeder series allowed him move up the motorsport ladder in 2024, where he competed full-time in F3 with MP Motorsport.

Despite never claiming a race win in the series, he was promoted to F2 for the current season and has gone on to take two feature race victories at Imola and in Bahrain.

Ahead of his first F1 session, Dunne undertook private testing in McLaren’s 2023 car alongside simulator work, with team principal Andrea Stella describing the youngster as ‘quite diligent and impressive.’

READ MORE: McLaren F1 stars hit by FIA deleted lap ruling after Austrian Grand Prix

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