Damon Hill shares his reaction to Alex Dunne replacing Lando Norris for McLaren during FP1 at the Austrian Grand Prix

Follow us on Google Discover

McLaren are set to hand Irishman Alex Dunne his first official taste of Formula 1 action at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Alex Dunne joined McLaren’s junior driver program last year after finishing as the runner-up in the 2023 GB3 series.

The 19-year-old has been working his way up the motorsport pyramid and currently finds himself leading the Formula 2 championship.

Dunne is up against the likes of Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad, Aston Martin youngster Jak Crawford and Williams star Luke Browning as he hopes to win the title during his rookie season.

The likes of Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Oscar Piastri all won the Formula 2 championship at the first attempt, as well as Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto.

Lando Norris is the man who has been asked to step aside for Dunne at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Each driver on the grid is required to give up their car for two practice sessions this season to give a young driver an opportunity.

It means Piastri will also need to make way for another McLaren youngster, with Dunne the most likely candidate to benefit from those sessions.

READ MORE: Who is Alex Dunne? The McLaren junior driver’s age, stats and more ahead of Austria FP1 debut

Damon Hill reacts to Alex Dunne testing for McLaren at the Austrian Grand Prix

Dunne has driven a Formula 1 car before, taking part in a private test in McLaren’s 2023 machine last month.

However, this will be his first outing in front of an F1 crowd, with Dino Beganovic also stepping up from F2 to take part in the hour-long session for Ferrari.

McLaren fans are seriously excited to see Dunne in action, as is the 1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill.

Hill reacted to the news that Dunne would be the first Irishman to take part in an F1 session since Ralph Firman on Instagram by simply stating it was ‘Meteoric’ for the teenager.

Norris is hoping to recover from a disastrous end to the Canadian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, where he previously collided with Max Verstappen while battling for the lead.

Losing out on an hour’s worth of running is far from ideal and has hampered several drivers already this season.

Jack Doohan’s huge crash in Japan came after he gave up his Alpine to Ryo Hirakawa, and Norris will be hoping he doesn’t make a similar mistake once he jumps back into the car.

READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Does McLaren junior Alex Dunne have a route onto the Formula 1 grid?

The dream for every driver on the Formula 2 grid this season is to one day reach Formula 1.

Arvid Lindblad has been tipped to join Racing Bulls potentially before the end of the season, with Liam Lawson failing to meet expectations.

However, the vast majority of the F1 grid is already settled for 2026.

Mercedes still need to confirm their two drivers, while there are potential vacancies at Racing Bulls, Alpine and Red Bull.

The team that may be of most interest to Dunne is the sport’s newcomers, Cadillac.

Cadillac are very interested in Valtteri Bottas after losing his seat to Bortoleto last year.

Felipe Drugovich is also on Cadillac’s radar, but Dunne winning the Formula 2 championship would certainly force them to ask the question as to whether to give the Irishman a go.

This season has proven that the level of young drivers coming through the ranks is extraordinary, and Dunne now has the chance to add his name to that list this season.