Helmut Marko has confirmed that Red Bull is in talks with Alex Dunne, an Irish Formula 2 driver, following his departure from the McLaren academy. The announcement of the separation came shortly before the Singapore Grand Prix, ending the contract that had begun at the start of 2024.
Dunne, who drives for Rodin Motorsport in F2, had been making a name for himself with victories and podiums in his rookie season, as well as participating in Formula 1 free practice sessions with McLaren in Austria and Italy. Despite his impressive results, he had no prospects of a promotion to F1, as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have long-term contracts.
According to the PlanetF1.com website, disagreements between McLaren and Dunne’s management team over his future were instrumental in the split. Although the departure was announced as a “mutual” decision behind the scenes, it is rumored that Dunne’s conversations with Helmut Marko began as early as the Hungarian Grand Prix.
In an interview with the BBC, Marko praised the Irish driver’s characteristics: “We are in negotiations now that he is free. He is very aggressive, fast, and has strong car control. He still makes many mistakes at the moment, but he is very similar to a Red Bull driver.”
As of now, there is no signed contract between the parties, but it is possible that Dunne could join Red Bull’s young talent program.
The young driver’s future raises questions within the Red Bull structure. The initial idea would be to simply place him in the driver academy, without an immediate timeframe for promotion to Formula 1. Nevertheless, the possibility of competing for a seat in the near future is real.
In the Racing Bulls, Isack Hadjar has been standing out this season and is seen as a candidate for a seat in the main team. If this happens, Yuki Tsunoda would be left without a seat, while Liam Lawson is expected to remain in the secondary team. In this scenario, a seat would become available alongside Lawson, currently considered a priority for Arvid Lindblad, the academy’s top talent in recent months.
