Dunne closing on Red Bull deal after leaving McLaren

Alex Dunne, a competitor in Ireland, has left McLaren’s driver development program and is closing in on a deal with Red Bull.

The 19-year-old Formula 2 driver made his Formula 1 debut in Austria in June, finishing fourth in first practice, 0.069 seconds behind championship leader Oscar Piastri.

Although McLaren valued Dunne highly as a potential future F1 driver, neither party was able to agree on his future.

He is close to signing a contract with Red Bull to work on the driver development program.

Alpine and Dunne had been in discussions about a potential F1 move, but insiders claim that negotiations have ended.

He would continue to play for a second season in Formula 1 with the possibility of joining their second team, the Racing Bulls, in 2027, if the Red Bull deal is made.

Dunne posted an “eye” emoji on social media saying he was “very excited for what’s to come.”

He said, “From today, I’ve mutually agreed to end my involvement with the McLaren driver development program.”

I’d like to thank every McLaren employee who has helped me grow and improve as a driver. Having my first race car and two FP1 sessions are things I’ll always cherish dearly, and I wish them all the best of luck in the near future. Papaya family, I’m grateful.

Dunne became the first Irish driver to compete in a weekend of Formula One in 22 years by winning the Austrian Grand Prix.

Dunne, who became the team’s development driver in May 2024, also participated in the first practice at the Italian Grand Prix in September.

It has been a pleasure to work with Alex over the past year and to help him develop as a driver, McLaren said in a statement.

We wish Alex the best of luck in the direction of his career.

In his first F2 season, Dunne won two feature races in Bahrain and Imola, but he has since lost out on the title due to a number of technical collisions and infringements.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will remain in their F1 team for the foreseeable future, which was a problem with McLaren wanting to keep hold of Dunne after this season.

Before signing an extended “long-term” contract with the team in March, Piastri, who was in charge of the world championship with seven races to go before this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, was already signed to McLaren.

And they announced that Norris would remain with the team until at least the end of 2026 when he signed a new deal with McLaren last year. Beyond that, they have no intention of excluding the Briton.

Therefore, it was unlikely that Dunne would ever join McLaren in formula one.

Additionally, McLaren are world champions, making it unusual for teams with championships and races to employ rookie drivers.