Irish Formula 2 driver Alex Dunne announced his split with McLaren, and since then there has been speculation that he will end up in the Red Bull junior driver program.
The announcement hinted that Dunne and McLaren chose to end their relationship amicably, which will allow the 19-year-old driver to pursue other opportunities elsewhere, as he must have felt that a Formula 1 debut with the Woking squad is far away, as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are locked down with the team for the long term.
That "elsewhere" could end up being Red Bull, as the energy drinks company is yet to confirm who will be driving for them in 2026 across their two F1 teams, Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls—that is, aside from Max Verstappen, who is committed to the Milton Keynes team at least for 2026.
Red Bull have an issue with the choice of driver to partner Verstappen at their senior F1 team, with both Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda failing to deliver. The latter is also at high risk of being let go for 2026 as Honda becomes the works power unit partner of Aston Martin F1.
Isack Hadjar, on the other hand, has impressed and is tipped to be Verstappen's teammate in 2026, which means Red Bull motorsport consultant Dr. Helmut Marko has to decide who he keeps at the Racing Bulls.
Who will make way?
The consensus is that either Lawson or Tsunoda will stay, the former more likely to be the choice, with talks about another Red Bull junior, Arvid Lindblad, who is currently racing in F2 alongside Dunne.
Marko confirmed Dunne is on his radar and said in Singapore: "He's a very aggressive driver, he has fantastic car control, and he's fast. So that's what Red Bull likes, and of course we will have discussions with him [now he's free]."
However, Dunne does not have a Super License, while Lindblad does after a special approval earlier this year after the FIA granted Red Bull Racing an exemption. He also tested an F1 car in Imola with Racing Bulls; he drove a 2023 AlphaTauri.
Dunne can have enough points for a Super License should he finish third in the 2025 F2 Championship - he is currently fifth.
Asked about that point, Marko said: "He doesn't have a super license, so let's see. There are two more races in F2. Let's see what he can achieve."
(Quotes from Motorsport.com)
Latest News
Loading
