Alex Dunne has left McLaren’s driver development programme and is closing on a deal with rivals Red Bull.
The 19-year-old Formula 2 driver impressed on his Formula 1 debut in Austria in June, finishing fourth in first practice, just 0.069 seconds behind championship leader Oscar Piastri.
Although McLaren rate Dunne highly as a potential future F1 driver, they were unable to reach an agreement on his future that satisfied both parties.
He is close to a deal to join Red Bull’s driver development programme. Dunne had been in talks with Alpine about a potential F1 move, but insiders say those have collapsed.
If the Red Bull deal is signed, he would continue for a second season in F2 with the chance to graduate to F1 with their second team Racing Bulls in 2027.
By driving at the Austrian Grand Prix, Dunne became the first Irish driver to participate in a F1 weekend in 22 years.
Dunne, who joined the team as development driver in May 2024, also took part in first practice at the Italian Grand Prix in September.
Dunne has won two feature races in his rookie F2 campaign, in Bahrain and Imola, but has dropped out of title contention after a number of technical infringements and collisions.
The final two rounds of the F2 season take place at the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix on the last weekend in November and first in December.
