F1 fans are all saying the same thing after Alex Dunne’s astonishing performance in Austrian Grand Prix practice

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F2 championship leader Alex Dunne made his F1 debut at the Austrian Grand Prix as he took the reins of Lando Norris’ McLaren in FP1.

The 19-year-old became the first Irishman to race during a Grand Prix weekend since Ralph Firman in 2003. Dunne was afforded his opportunity following his impressive performances in F2 so far in 2025.

The McLaren junior made the step up from F3, where he had a fairly disappointing 2024 campaign, scoring two podiums as he finished 14th in the standings. But the jump to F2 has been seamless for Dunne, as he leads the championship by three points over Richard Verschoor with two wins.

McLaren fans were very excited to see Dunne in action in FP1 at the Austrian Grand Prix. It was a great opportunity for the Irishman to impress the team in Norris’ car.

Damon Hill reacted to Dunne racing in FP1, calling it a ‘meteoric’ occasion for the young talent. He made sure not to waste his chance in the MCL39.

F1 fans astounded by Alex Dunne’s ‘seriously impressive’ performance during Austrian Grand Prix practice

Dunne was not the only F2 driver to feature in FP1, as Ferrari fielded Dino Beganovic over Charles Leclerc. The Swedish driver was eight tenths off the pace of George Russell at the top, as he and Lewis Hamilton encountered mechanical issues with the SF-25.

But it was McLaren’s junior who caught everyone’s attention. Dunne grew with confidence as the session went on and finished an incredible P4, going just 69 thousandths of a second slower than Oscar Piastri.

Unsurprisingly, his performance merited significant praise from fans on social media. Several F1 fanatics flooded X (formerly Twitter) to marvel over Dunne and his impressive driving.

“Alex Dunne looking VERY impressive, NGL,” said one fan, while another said: “That’s a seriously impressive effort from Alex Dunne for McLaren in FP1 Well done lad!”

“Sensational lap from Alex,” another user said. One fan felt Dunne was actually holding back in case he damaged Norris’ car ahead of FP2: “Pretty damn good considering he’s probably holding back out of fear of crashing the car.”

Some fans were even calling for the Irishman to get an F1 seat. One fan said: “Dunne deserves a seat so much,” while another echoed: “Alex Dunne less than 0.1s slower than Oscar. I’ve seen enough get him in the car permanently.”

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

Anthony Davidson was very impressed by Alex Dunne’s approach during FP1

Dunne is also racing in F2 this weekend in Austria. Going from that car into an F1 car is no easy feat, but the Irishman delivered an exceptional performance, providing valuable data for McLaren.

Anthony Davidson was left impressed by Dunne’s display as he commented on Sky Sports F1: “Yeah, just under a tenth in fact. Dunne, wow!

“He’s really stepped it up, steadily but surely, during this session. I’m really impressed by his approach.”

After the session, Dunne came over the radio to thank McLaren for giving him the opportunity: “I want to say a massive thank you. A little boy’s dream came true and this is definitely the best day of my life. So, thank you everyone for letting me do this, and thanks Lando as well for trusting me with his car.

Norris’ race engineer Will Joseph replied: “You’re very welcome. Good job as well, that was quite a busy session.” Dunne ended the exchange with another thank you to the team: “Thanks everyone, means a lot.”