Alex Dunne’s Surprise McLaren Exit: F1 Doors Closing or Opening?

The team announced the move in a statement, reading: “McLaren Racing has ended its contract with McLaren Driver Development Programme member Alex Dunne.

“It has been a pleasure to work with Alex over the last year and to contribute to his growth as a driver through the McLaren Development Programme…

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

Dunne, 19, joined McLaren as a reserve and development driver in 2024, and has been gaining a lot of attention in Formula 2 this year, where he is currently racing for Rodin Motorsport and sits fifth overall with two races left in the year. 

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How this will affect Dunne going forward is unclear, but this move might open him up to more possibilities within F1 in the future.

McLaren currently boasts a driver line-up of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who are in a fight for the Drivers’ Championship and locked in with the team for the next few years. This means that McLaren itself currently has limited opportunities to offer Dunne in terms of an upgrade to F1. 

Yet those opportunities might pop up elsewhere, such as in the Red Bull or VCARB garages. Both teams have yet to confirm their 2026 lineup and Helmut Marko, the leader of their junior driver program, has shown interest in Dunne in the past. What’s more, BBC Sport has also reported that he is in talks with the Austrian outfit for a deal in the near future.

That said, between Yuki Tsunoda, Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson and Red Bull’s own junior driver Arvid Lindblad, the organization is already spoiled for choice, and nothing is for certain until ink has been put to paper.

And this might mean that Dunne will have to wait it out one more year in F2 before a chance at F1 comes knocking. Nonetheless, the young driver’s talent is likely to take him far. The only question now is which team will that be with?