McLaren has announced the shock termination of its development deal with rising Irish star Alex Dunne, who has previously been tipped for a future in Formula 1.
Dunne has been released from the reigning champions’ driver programme “with immediate effect.”
The Formula 2 race winner impressed on his F1 debut in Austria when he deputised in opening practice for Lando Norris, finishing just 0.069 seconds off current championship leader Oscar Piastri‘s quickest time.
After Thursday’s news was confirmed, Dunne posted on social media that he’s “very excited for what’s to come.”
ESPN understands the split came after McLaren and Dunne failed to come to agreement over what his future within the team’s orbit should look like.
McLaren has no seat available for 2026 and Piastri and Norris are both tied down on long term deals. Available spots on the grid going forward elsewhere are in short supply.
Alpine is yet to decide whether to continue with the struggling Franco Colapinto into 2026 and Dunne might well be a left-field option for them.
Red Bull might also be an option — the team is yet to decide on who will partner Max Verstappen next season, although Racing Bulls rookie Isak Hadjar seems favourite to step up.
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Sources have told ESPN that Red Bull are keen to promote F2 driver Arvid Lindblad to the junior team next year, meaning Yuki Tsunoda or Liam Lawson are likely to leave.
Dunne might be an option to fill the gap left by Lindblad’s elevation as the next man up in the Red Bull pipeline.
In a statement, McLaren wrote: “It has been a pleasure to work with Alex over the last year and to have been able to contribute to his success and growth as a driver through the McLaren Driver Development Programme.”
