Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Formula 2 championship leader Alex Dunne will make his Formula 1 free practice debut with McLaren in Austria this week.
A member of McLaren’s driver development programme since last year, the Irish driver stepped up from FIA Formula 3 to F2 and has made a stunning start to his rookie season with Rodin Motorsport, scoring feature race wins in Bahrain and Imola and leading the standings by three points over veteran Richard Verschoor after six rounds.
He was handed his first taste of F1 machinery by McLaren at Zandvoort in May when he drove its MCL60 chassis from 2023 under the testing of previous cars (TPC) regulations, and got a similar outing at United States Grand Prix venue Austin last week.
Dunne will take over the car of Lando Norris in Friday’s opening practice session at the Red Bull Ring.
“It’s great to be able to give Alex the opportunity to run in free practice 1, and for him to get valuable time behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car as part of his development,” said team principal Andrea Stella.
“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.”
Dunne’s Austrian outing is the first of four occasions this season where McLaren will need to field a rookie in one of its cars. It has already confirmed that its IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward will get another FP1 run at his home circuit of Mexico City in Ocotber.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to drive during FP1 in Austria,” said Dunne. “I’m really looking forward to getting laps in behind the wheel of the MCL39 and supporting the team with the setup for the race weekend ahead.
“I’ve been preparing well for the sessions, taking part in TPC tests in the MCL60 and spending time on the simulator, which has been a fantastic learning experience.
“Thank you to Zak [Brown], Andrea 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.”
Ferrari meanwhile has announced that Dunne’s fellow F2 rookie Dino Beganovic will get his second FP1 outing with the team in Austria. The Swede will replace Charles Leclerc, just as he did in Bahrain in April.