Alex Dunne gets second McLaren FP1 shot at Monza
McLaren’s junior standout Alex Dunne will step back into F1 duty on Friday at Monza, taking the opening practice session for the team at the Italian Grand Prix.
It’s the 19-year-old Irishman’s second FP1 outing of the year after a quietly impressive debut at the Red Bull Ring in June, where he was fourth fastest and within a tenth of Oscar Piastri. Not a bad way to introduce yourself to a Formula 1 weekend.
“I’m super excited to be back for my second FP1 with McLaren in Monza this weekend,” Dunne said. “My first one in Austria was an extremely special day for me, but I think to do it again in Monza, which is a track that’s so historic and prestigious, is definitely going to put a very big smile on my face. Hopefully, I can build and improve on what was already a strong outing in Austria, and help Lando and Oscar as much as possible going into their weekend.”
McLaren announced the call-up on social media but, as of publication, hasn’t specified which car Dunne will take over in FP1. He ran Lando Norris’s MCL38 in Austria, so the paddock expectation is he’ll slot into Piastri’s seat this time to satisfy the rookie-running requirement that each team must hit across both cars during the season.
Even without the box-ticking, there’s a clear competitive logic here. Monza demands ruthlessly tidy execution: short corners, big braking, tiny margins. It’s an ideal litmus test for a young driver’s feel and feedback, and those were the qualities McLaren liked about Dunne’s first run. His Red Bull Ring hour wasn’t showy, it was solid—clean prep work, no mistakes, quick enough to be useful.
There’s also the small matter of Dunne’s day job. He’s a race winner in Formula 2 this season and, having led the standings earlier in the year, arrives in Italy fifth after the last round in Hungary. With F2 back on the bill this weekend and only four rounds left in the campaign, he’ll be on double duty: build Friday rhythm in an F1 car at 350 km/h, then hop back into an F2 machine and fight for points and a title shot. It’s the sort of workload that either swamps a youngster or steels them for the next step. McLaren clearly thinks Dunne belongs in the latter group.
For the team, Friday is about sharpening a package that’s been in the mix all year. One-lap pace and straight-line efficiency matter more at Monza than just about anywhere else, and getting the drag-versus-downforce compromise right early saves a lot of pain later. Dunne’s job is simple and difficult in equal measure: keep it clean, hit the run plan, and return the car intact with good data on ride, balance and braking stability. If he repeats anything close to his Austria level — on a track where a tow and timing can flatter, but where consistency still shines — he’ll have done his bit.
The timing also wraps a neat bow on F1’s European leg. Monza closes out the continent before the calendar heads to Baku, then Singapore and on through the Americas swing, with the season finale in the Middle East. For a rookie, that’s a prospect to file under “later.” Friday is about one hour in a papaya car on the old royal park’s asphalt, where the curbs bite and the stopwatch never lies.
We’ll keep an eye on which McLaren seat Dunne inherits for FP1, but either way, it’s another meaningful step in a year that’s moved quickly for him. Austria showed he could blend in among the grown-ups. Monza will ask him to do it again, on a bigger stage, with rather more tifosi watching.
