McLaren has ended its deal with F1 junior Alex Dunne with immediate effect amid rumours, as Pietro Fittipaldi switches to Cadillac from Haas.
Amid rumours about potential Red Bull link, McLaren has let go of its F1 junior Dunne with immediate effect, as announced on the eve of Singapore GP. The F2 racer has made headlines in the ongoing season in the fight for the drivers’ championship in his rookie season albeit in a fierce manner.
He has had some off moments considering the 10 penalty points on his license, but has been among the drivers to fight for the driver’ title. He lost ground in the last couple of rounds to be fifth in the standings – now 58 points behind fellow rookie star Leonardo Fornaroli.
In the recent times, he was linked to Cadillac F1 team alongside Red Bull. The former has already set-up its driver line-up which includes test and reserves. The latter has its own youngsters waiting in the wings like Arvid Lindblad, Joseph Pepe Marti and Oliver Goethe, but showed interest in Dunne as per reports.
With the decision looming to finalise the second Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen, Dunne may get a direct look-in at Visa Cash App RB, if Isack Hadjar steps up to the senior seat. It will leave at least one space at the sister team. There are rumours about Lindblad getting the nod too.
However, the Brit hasn’t had the best of F2 seasons, sitting seventh – even behind fellow Red Bull junior Marti. The move from McLaren to immediately and abruptly end its deal with a shining prospect like Dunne, signals a larger move to F1 for the Irishman.
“McLaren Racing has ended its contract with McLaren Driver Development Programme member Alex Dunne,” said a small statement. “It has been a pleasure to work with Alex over the last year and to have been able to contribute to his success and growth as a driver through the McLaren Driver Development programme. Alex will be released with immediate effect. We wish Alex all the best for his career going forward.”
Dunne is the second junior that McLaren has lost to a rival, after Gabriel Bortoleto elected to leave the development programme to sign up with Sauber/Audi for his F1 debut. The Brit outfit already has a long-term deal with its current drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, leaving no space in their line-up.
Other news –
Pietro Fittipaldi leaves Haas to join Cadillac: https://x.com/PiFitti/status/1973376302846468118
Ferrari junior Tuukka Taponen switches to MP Motorsport for 2026 F3 season: https://www.ferrari.com/en-EN/media-centre/articles/tuukka-taponen-to-race-with-mp-motorsport-in-fia-f3-in-2026
Here’s McLaren trio on Max Verstappen’s chances
