F1 hopeful Alex Dunne reveals the REAL reason he left McLaren

Alex Dunne at Mondello Park Carole Nash Historic Festival 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

McLaren

Alex Dunne reveals the REAL reason he left McLaren

Alex Dunne opted to leave McLaren last year

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 11 January 2026 10:53

Former McLaren driver Alex Dunne has revealed the real reason for leaving the team as he seeks to become an F1 driver in the future.

Dunne has been rising up through the ranks in single seater racing, securing two wins and eight podiums in his first season in F2 in 2025, as well as competing in a couple of practice sessions for the McLaren F1 team.

However, with the Irishman's future looking bright, Dunne and McLaren opted to part ways towards the back end of last year, with many suspecting that he was going to sign a deal with Red Bull instead.

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That deal has not materialised, and Dunne heads into 2026 not actually connected to an F1 team at this stage.

Now, he has revealed the real reason behind his decision to quit McLaren, with an end goal of a full-time seat in F1 on the horizon.

McLaren already have a young, talented driver pairing in Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who are poised to challenge for championships for many more years to come.

"For me, there's a goal and a plan in place and that's to be a Formula 1 driver," Dunne told Irish website Balls.

"From the options that I knew I had, the decision we made was one that had to be made to be in F1.

"I think it's as simple as that, it was actually my decision. When my dad and I were talking about it, he wasn't 100 per cent sure. Normally, he's the one who is 100 per cent sure!

"For me, I felt like it was the right decision. I'm more than comfortable with that. I think, moving forward, we should be in an alright place."

What's Alex Dunne to deserve an F1 seat?

Dunne is an exceptional racing talent, at just 20 years of age having claimed two race victories in F2 and had a brief shot at the title in his rookie season, albeit finishing fifth in the end.

That F2 year followed a British F4 Championship win in 2022, as well as spells in the GB3 Championship, F3 and as a reserve driver in Formula E.

A lot of his opportunities - particularly regarding F1 practice sessions - have been handed to him due to his joining up with the McLaren young driver academy, however, and he may find it hard to add to his two FP1 appearances in 2026.

That is unless Dunne has a trick up his sleeve for a new contract but with a different team on the F1 grid.

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F1 McLaren F2 Alex Dunne