Alex Dunne to Drive McLaren in FP1 at Monza

Ireland’s Alex Dunne will return to Formula 1 action with McLaren at the Italian Grand Prix, taking part in first practice at Monza.

The 19-year-old, currently a contender in the Formula 2 championship, will drive the MCL39 on Friday as part of McLaren’s rookie driver programme. It will be his second FP1 outing of the season, following a highly impressive debut at the Austrian Grand Prix in June.

At the Red Bull Ring, Dunne became the first Irish driver in 22 years to participate in an F1 weekend, finishing fourth in the session and setting a lap just 0.069s shy of McLaren race driver Oscar Piastri. He described the experience as “the best day of his life.”

Speaking ahead of Monza, Dunne said: “My first one in Austria was an extremely special day for me so to do it again at Monza, a track which is so historic, is going to put a big smile on my face. Hopefully I can build and improve upon what was a strong outing in Austria and help Lando and Oscar as much as possible going into the Grand Prix.”

McLaren is fulfilling its obligation to run rookie drivers in two practice sessions per car during the season. With Dunne now completing his second appearance, IndyCar star Pato O’Ward is set to drive at his home race in Mexico later this year. The team has yet to confirm who will take the fourth and final rookie slot, with Abu Dhabi a likely venue.

Alongside his F1 duties, Dunne continues his Formula 2 campaign with Rodin Motorsport. He currently sits fifth in the standings, 30 points behind leader Leonardo Fornaroli, having claimed victories in Bahrain and Imola. However, his title challenge has been dented by penalties outside his control: he was disqualified from second place in Austria for excessive plank wear, and lost a wet-weather win in Belgium due to a start procedure infringement.

Despite these setbacks, Dunne remains firmly in contention and will now split his focus between F2 and his second taste of F1 machinery at Monza, an opportunity that could further bolster his growing reputation.

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