Latest news with #AlexDunne
The Hindu
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Hindu
Dunne makes sensational practice debut, emerges fourth quickest
Alex Dunne stepped into the cockpit of Lando Norris' McLaren as an up-and-coming driver without Formula 1 experience. He left it with proof he can keep up with the very best in F1. The 19-year-old driver from Ireland took over Norris' car for the first practice Friday (June 27, 2025) ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix and was soon close to matching the pace of championship leader Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren. 'I want to say a massive thank you. A little boy's dream came true,' Dunne told the McLaren team over the radio. 'This is definitely the best day of my life, so thank you everyone for letting me do this. And thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car.' Dunne set the fourth-fastest time of anyone in the session, 0.224 of a second off George Russell's quickest lap, and was especially quick in the Austrian track's fastest corners. Dunne was .159 off the pace of defending champion Max Verstappen, .069 off Piastri, and .333 quicker than seven-time champ Lewis Hamilton. The 19-year-old Dunne has risen fast through the junior series and is the standings leader in Formula 2. He's also done private testing in a 2023-specification McLaren and used the team's simulator. Dunne became the first Irish driver to take part in a Grand Prix weekend for 22 years, since Ralph Firman raced one season for Jordan in 2003. F1 teams are required to give young drivers an opportunity in four Friday (June 27, 2025) practice sessions per year, but they usually need more time to adapt than Dunne did. Another F2 driver was behind the wheel Friday (June 27, 2025) as Ferrari handed Charles Leclerc's car to Sweden's Dino Beganovic, who placed 18th.
Irish Daily Mirror
14 hours ago
- Automotive
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irish prodigy Alex Dunne gushes with emotion when he sees Dad after F1 debut
Irish racing prodigy Alex Dunne gushed with emotion as he met a proud father following his Formula 1 racing debut on Friday. Dunne was let drive for Team McLaren in place of Lando Norris for this afternoon's FP1 session and exceeded the lofty expectations thrown his way as he clocked the fourth fastest time, behind only George Russell, Max Verstappen, and Oscar Piastri. And the 19-year-old was emotional throughout the day as he embraced his father, Noel. "I don't even know where to start. Super, super happy. It's safe to say it went pretty well," Dunne told McLaren's social media team after the session. "We knew going through the session that the goal wasn't necessarily for performance, it was more to help out with the car, help Lando, and help the team improve as much as they can for FP2, FP3, and then onwards into the weekend. To have the pace that I had and show was I am capable on the F1 stage is something pretty special." On concluding the session, a delighted Dunne said: "I want to thank everyone. A little boy's dream came true; that was definitely the best day of my life. Thanks, everyone, [it] means a lot." By competing on Friday, Dunne is the first Irish racing driver to feature on the stage since Ralph Firman in 2003, and there will be justifiable hype surrounding the Offaly teen. Dunne currently sits top of the Formula Two standings, and a strong finish to the season, accompanied by some more opportunities, could mean he could make a real name for himself in the sport. McLaren team boss Andrea Stella took time to speak to Sky Sports after the race, where he branded Dunne 'diligent' and 'impressive' while also tempering expectations, saying his fast lap times came later when his fuel was down.
Irish Times
16 hours ago
- Automotive
- Irish Times
‘A little boy's dream came true': Alex Dunne shines in Formula One practice
Mercedes' George Russell kept Max Verstappen off the top of the time sheets with the fastest lap in first Friday practice for the Austrian Grand Prix while Ireland's Alex Dunne made an impressive Formula One debut with McLaren. Formula Two leader Dunne, taking Lando Norris's McLaren for the season as part of the team's obligation to give track time to young drivers, was fourth fastest and only 0.069 slower than Piastri. Dunne, still only 19 and the first Irish driver in 22 years to take part in a grand prix weekend, thanked the team over the radio as the chequered flag fell. 'A little boy's dream came true, and this is definitely the best day of my life,' he said. 'Thank you everyone for letting me do this, and thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car.' READ MORE "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." McLaren rookie Alex Dunne after Practice 1 🥹🟠 — Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) [ Alex Dunne interview: 'I always wanted to be an F1 driver. I'm not that far away' Opens in new window ] Russell, winner from pole position in Canada two weeks ago, lapped the Red Bull Ring with a best time of one minute 05.542 seconds. Red Bull's reigning world champion Verstappen, five times a winner at Spielberg and without regular race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase for the weekend due to personal reasons with Simon Rennie taking over, was 0.065 slower. McLaren's Formula One leader Oscar Piastri was third, 0.155 off the pace. Norris, 22 points behind Piastri after 10 of 24 races, will be back for the second session – his first time on track since he collided with his Australian team-mate in Canada while challenging for fourth place. Tom Court - Ireland's accidental Lion Listen | 40:32 Austria has the shortest lap of the year in terms of time and all but 20th-placed Haas driver Oliver Bearman were within a second of Russell. Pierre Gasly was fifth for Alpine with Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto sixth for Sauber and Alex Albon seventh for Williams ahead of team-mate Carlos Sainz. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was ninth as Ferrari had a difficult start to their preparations with both cars in the garage during the session with mechanics working on floor and gearbox. Hamilton's team-mate Charles Leclerc sat out the session with Swedish reserve Dino Beganovic getting some track time and finishing 18th. Isack Hadjar made it seven different teams in the top 10 with the 10th fastest lap for Racing Bulls. Fernando Alonso had a big spin in his Aston Martin but kept the car out of the barriers.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
'Best day of my life' - Dunne delivers on F1 debut
Alex Dunne was fourth for McLaren in his first practice session in Formula 1 [Getty Images] Teenager Alex Dunne says making his Formula 1 debut at the Austrian Grand Prix is "definitely the best day of my life". The 19-year-old impressed as he posted the fourth-fastest time in opening practice for the Austrian Grand Prix as he stood in for McLaren's Lando Norris. Advertisement The Irish driver was handed the opportunity in one of McLaren's four mandatory sessions across the season where a rookie driver will take part in first practice. Dunne is a McLaren development driver and leads the Formula 2 standings after six rounds with two victories in Bahrain and Imola. "I want to say a massive thank you, you made a little boy's dream come true," Dunne said on his team radio after the session. "This is definitely the best day of my life. "Thank you everyone for letting me do this and thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car. It means a lot." Advertisement In taking part in first practice, Dunne became the first Irish driver to participate in a Formula 1 weekend in 22 years. He started the session off slowly, carrying an aero rake on his car as championship leaders McLaren tested updates on the MCL39. After a stint on hard tyres, the former British F4 champion posted the fourth-fastest time after switching to the soft tyres late in the hour-long session. His quickest time was just 0.069 seconds shy of championship leader Oscar Piastri, who was third behind George Russell and Max Verstappen. "I'm super, super happy. It's safe to say it went pretty well," Dunne told McLaren's social media. Advertisement "We knew going into the session that the goal wasn't necessarily for performance, it was more to help out with the car, help Lando and kind of just help the team improve as much as they can for FP2 and FP3, and onwards into the weekend. "So to have the pace that I had and show what I am capable of on the F1 stage is something pretty special." Analysis - 'He might give McLaren a few headaches' Dunne leads the Formula 2 standings by three points after six rounds of the championship [Getty Images] Andrew Benson, BBC Sport's Formula 1 correspondent: "There was a point where McLaren were thinking of dropping Alex Dunne but [former racing driver] Warren Hughes said to them if you look into the data, you can see that he is really talented and that's really coming out this year. Advertisement "He's been super impressive in F2 and that lap time. It is only first practice but it's a very rare a driver gets into a grand prix practice session and laps that close to the regular race driver. "Alex Dunne might be giving McLaren a few headaches because they already have Piastri and Norris under contract in F1 for at least a couple of years. "I'm not saying Dunne is going to get a McLaren seat but if he wins F2 this year, what are they going to do with him? There aren't that many F1 seats, with this sort of potential you want to get him into F1 as soon as possible." 'Diligent and impressive' Speaking on Sky Sports, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said Dunne was "diligent and impressive" in his approach to the session, which included testing the new upgrades on the McLaren. Advertisement "He also had the chance to show some speed, and it's no surprise as he's a fast driver," Stella added. "I think we need to be a bit careful looking at the lap times because his lap time came later on in the stint when the fuel was down. "But it was encouraging and impressive, in terms of Alex himself and it was a good session for McLaren." Ex-Formula 1 driver Karun Chandock says Dunne's performance in practice was "tremendously impressive". "If I was McLaren I'd be trying to do a deal with Cadillac or someone like that," he said on Sky Sports. Advertisement "You want to find him a seat somewhere to build up some racing experience. "I'd be trying to get him a deal somewhere else for a period of time and have him on some sort of a tether him back in, like Mercedes have done in the past with George Russell." What comes next? Heading into the Austrian Grand Prix, Dunne leads the Formula 2 standings by three points ahead of Dutch driver Richard Verschoor. The Offaly driver has won in Bahrain and Imola, and claimed pole position in Monaco. After his impressive F1 debut, Dunne returned to his Rodin Motorsport Formula 2 car for qualifying for the seventh round of the season. Advertisement He posted the seventh fastest time and will start from fourth in the reverse grid sprint race on Saturday (13:15 BST), and will line-up where he qualified for the feature race on Sunday (09:00 BST).
BBC News
17 hours ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
'Best day of my life' - Dunne delivers on F1 debut
Teenager Alex Dunne says making his Formula 1 debut at the Austrian Grand Prix is "definitely the best day of my life".The 19-year-old impressed as he posted the fourth-fastest time in opening practice for the Austrian Grand Prix as he stood in for McLaren's Lando Irish driver was handed the opportunity in one of McLaren's four mandatory sessions across the season where a rookie driver will take part in first is a McLaren development driver and leads the Formula 2 standings after six rounds with two victories in Bahrain and Imola."I want to say a massive thank you, you made a little boy's dream come true," Dunne said on his team radio after the session."This is definitely the best day of my life. "Thank you everyone for letting me do this and thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car. It means a lot." In taking part in first practice, Dunne became the first Irish driver to participate in a Formula 1 weekend in 22 years. He started the session off slowly, carrying an aero rake on his car as championship leaders McLaren tested updates on the MCL39. After a stint on hard tyres, the former British F4 champion posted the fourth-fastest time after switching to the soft tyres late in the hour-long session. His quickest time was just 0.069 seconds shy of championship leader Oscar Piastri, who was third behind George Russell and Max Verstappen."I'm super, super happy. It's safe to say it went pretty well," Dunne told McLaren's social media. "We knew going into the session that the goal wasn't necessarily for performance, it was more to help out with the car, help Lando and kind of just help the team improve as much as they can for FP2 and FP3, and onwards into the weekend. "So to have the pace that I had and show what I am capable of on the F1 stage is something pretty special." Analysis - 'He might give McLaren a few headaches' Andrew Benson, BBC Sport's Formula 1 correspondent: "There was a point where McLaren were thinking of dropping Alex Dunne but [former racing driver] Warren Hughes said to them if you look into the data, you can see that he is really talented and that's really coming out this year. "He's been super impressive in F2 and that lap time. It is only first practice but it's a very rare a driver gets into a grand prix practice session and laps that close to the regular race driver."Alex Dunne might be giving McLaren a few headaches because they already have Piastri and Norris under contract in F1 for at least a couple of years. "I'm not saying Dunne is going to get a McLaren seat but if he wins F2 this year, what are they going to do with him? There aren't that many F1 seats, with this sort of potential you want to get him into F1 as soon as possible." 'Diligent and impressive' Speaking on Sky Sports, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said Dunne was "diligent and impressive" in his approach to the session, which included testing the new upgrades on the McLaren."He also had the chance to show some speed, and it's no surprise as he's a fast driver," Stella added."I think we need to be a bit careful looking at the lap times because his lap time came later on in the stint when the fuel was down."But it was encouraging and impressive, in terms of Alex himself and it was a good session for McLaren."Ex-Formula 1 driver Karun Chandock says Dunne's performance in practice was "tremendously impressive"."If I was McLaren I'd be trying to do a deal with Cadillac or someone like that," he said on Sky Sports."You want to find him a seat somewhere to build up some racing experience. "I'd be trying to get him a deal somewhere else for a period of time and have him on some sort of a tether him back in, like Mercedes have done in the past with George Russell." What comes next? Heading into the Austrian Grand Prix, Dunne leads the Formula 2 standings by three points ahead of Dutch driver Richard Offaly driver has won in Bahrain and Imola, and claimed pole position in his impressive F1 debut, Dunne returned to his Rodin Motorsport Formula 2 car for qualifying for the seventh round of the posted the seventh fastest time and will start from fourth in the reverse grid sprint race on Saturday (13:15 BST), and will line-up where he qualified for the feature race on Sunday (09:00 BST).
