Formula 2 championship leader Alex Dunne will make his debut in an official Formula 1 practice session at the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend.
The 19-year-old, who is part of the team’s driver development programme, will take over Lando Norris’s car for the first practice session at the Red Bull Ring.
Dunne has already driven the team’s 2023 car, the MCL60, under F1’s Testing of Previous Cars regulations. He is also the reserve and development driver for McLaren in Formula E.
McLaren is due to quit Formula E at the end of the season. In addition to its F1 and IndyCar operations the team will enter the World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class in 2027.
All F1 teams are required to use a total of four first practice sessions during the season – two per car – to run drivers who have participated in no more than two grands prix.
F1 teams rookie practice drivers for 2025
| Team | Car | Event | Practice driver | Event | Practice driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McLaren | 4 | Austrian Grand Prix | Alex Dunne | Mexican Grand Prix | Pato O’Ward (car TBC) |
| 81 | |||||
| Ferrari | 16 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Dino Beganovic | ||
| 44 | |||||
| Red Bull | 1 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Ayumu Iwasa | ||
| 22/30 | |||||
| Mercedes | 12 | Australian Grand Prix | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Chinese Grand Prix | Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
| 63 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Frederik Vesti | |||
| Aston Martin | 14 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Felipe Drugovich | ||
| 18 | |||||
| Alpine | 7/43 | Australian Grand Prix | Jack Doohan | Chinese Grand Prix | Jack Doohan |
| 10 | |||||
| Haas | 31 | Spanish Grand Prix | Ryo Hirakawa | Mexican Grand Prix | Ryo Hirakawa |
| 87 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Ryo Hirakawa | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Ryo Hirakawa | |
| Racing Bulls | 6 | Australian Grand Prix | Isack Hadjar | Chinese Grand Prix | Isack Hadjar |
| 30/22 | |||||
| Williams | 23 | Spanish Grand Prix | Victor Martins | ||
| 55 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Luke Browning | |||
| Sauber | 5 | Australian Grand Prix | Gabriel Bortoleto | Chinese Grand Prix | Gabriel Bortoleto |
| 27 |
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2025 Austrian Grand Prix