Dunne closing on Red Bull deal after leaving McLaren

Ireland's Alex Dunne has left McLaren's driver development programme with immediate effect, saying he is "very excited for what's to come".

Formula 2 race winner Dunne impressed on his Formula 1 debut in Austria in June when he finished fourth in opening practice, just 0.069 seconds behind championship leader Oscar Piastri.

By driving at the Austrian Grand Prix, he became the first Irish driver to participate in a Formula 1 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, and McLaren said it had been a "pleasure" to work with the 19-year-old.

Posting on social, Dunne said he was "very excited for what's to come", with an 'eye' emoji.

"From today I've mutually decided to part ways with the McLaren driver development programme," he said.

"I'd like to thank every individual at McLaren that has helped me develop and improve as a driver, to have my first opportunity to drive an F1 car followed by two FP1 sessions is something I'll always hold very close to my heart, I wish them all the best for the future. Thank you papaya family."

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 in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

"It has been a pleasure to work with Alex over the last year and to contribute to his growth as a driver," McLaren said.

"We wish Alex all the best for his career going forward."

Championship leaders McLaren have no race seats available for 2026 with title contenders Piastri and Lando Norris both under contract.

Red Bull have yet to confirm who will partner Max Verstappen or take either Racing Bulls seat, while Alpine are yet to name who will race alongside Pierre Gasly in 2026.

McLaren rate Dunne highly and it is with some regret that they have released him from his driver development contract.

However, in negotiations over his future beyond this season, it proved impossible to reach an agreement that satisfied both parties. In that situation, McLaren felt it was better to release him to pursue his ambitions elsewhere.

McLaren's fundamental issue was that the seats in their F1 team are occupied by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for the foreseeable future.

Piastri, leading the world championship with seven races to go heading into this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix, was already signed to McLaren until the end of 2026 before he committed to an extended "long-term" contract with the team in March.

And Norris signed a new contract with McLaren last year that they said would keep him with the team at least until the end of 2026. And they have every intention to keep the Briton beyond that.

So there was likely to be no room for Dunne to graduate to F1 with McLaren for at least two years and possibly considerably longer.

On top of that, McLaren are the world champions, and it is rare for teams in a position to win races and championships to employ rookie drivers.

Dunne is expected to join the junior programme of either Alpine or Red Bull, both of whom have expressed an interest in him this season.

Insiders say he will do another season in F2 in 2026, but if that goes well, he can potentially expect a graduation to F1 at his new employers in 2027.