‘Best day of my life’: Irish teen Alex Dunne shines on F1 practice debut for McLaren

SPIELBERG, Austria (AP) — Alex Dunne stepped into the cockpit of Lando Norris’ McLaren as an up-and-coming driver without Formula 1 experience. He left it with proof he can keep up with the very best in F1.

The 19-year-old driver from Ireland took over Norris’ car for the first practice Friday ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix and was soon close to matching the pace of championship leader Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren.

“I want to say a massive thank you. A little boy’s dream came true,” Dunne told the McLaren team over the radio. “This is definitely the best day of my life, so thank you everyone for letting me do this. And thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car.”

Dunne set the fourth-fastest time of anyone in the session, 0.224 of a second off George Russell’s quickest lap, and was especially quick in the Austrian track’s fastest corners.

Dunne was .159 off the pace of defending champion Max Verstappen, .069 off Piastri, and .333 quicker than seven-time champ Lewis Hamilton.

The 19-year-old Dunne has risen fast through the junior series and is the standings leader in Formula 2. He’s also done private testing in a 2023-specification McLaren and used the team’s simulator.

Dunne became the first Irish driver to take part in a Grand Prix weekend for 22 years, since Ralph Firman raced one season for Jordan in 2003.

F1 teams are required to give young drivers an opportunity in four Friday practice sessions per year, but they usually need more time to adapt than Dunne did.

Another F2 driver was behind the wheel Friday as Ferrari handed Charles Leclerc’s car to Sweden’s Dino Beganovic, who placed 18th.

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