Alex Dunne set the fourth fastest time in Austrian Grand Prix first practice for McLaren on Friday as he became the first Irish driver to compete in a Formula One session for 22 years.
The 19-year-old Offaly man, who is a McLaren development driver, currently races in the FIA Formula 2 feeder series, and got behind the wheel of the F1 constructors' championship-leading MCL39 for the first time during a grand prix weekend, sitting in for Lando Norris, who is second in this season's F1 drivers' standings.
Under the rules for 2025, F1 teams are required to field young drivers in free practice twice during the year, increasing from one in previous seasons, and this was Dunne's first opportunity to take the step up, with Dino Beganovic the other non-F1 driver involved, the latter in place of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
In the process, Dunne became the first Irish driver to feature during an F1 grand prix weekend since Ralph Firman 22 years ago. English-born Firman raced for Jordan in the 2003 season under an Irish licence through his Newbridge, Kildare-born mother.
Dunne, with his father Noel watching on from the team garage, was the second driver to emerge from the pitlane for the start of practice around Austria's Red Bull ring, lining up behind seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari, before setting out on his initial out-lap.
He was the only driver not to set a time in his initial run of laps before returning to the pits. But when he reemerged, he resumed testing out the McLaren's new front wing and on his eighth lap, set a first flying lap of 1:08.520 which had him 20th and last, before he improved on that almost immediately with a 1:07.196.
However, later on the soft tyre and with a quarter of an hour left in testing, Dunne showed his speed on his 18th lap with a time of 1:05.766, the fourth fastest at that point and within a tenth of current F1 championship leader Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren. George Russell of Mercedes was fastest overall ahead of Red Bull's four-time champion Max Verstappen.
Dunne eventually completed 29 laps, particularly impressing on the high speed corners at Spielberg.
After the session, Dunne took to the team radio to thank his engineers for making "a little boy's dream come true" and described it as the best day of his life.
Speaking to Sky Sports' Ted Kravitz after the session, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella described the young Irishman's efforts as both "diligent" and "impressive".
Dunne had to quickly switch focus back to F2 qualifying, which began later in the afternoon, as he bids to bolster his chances of extending his lead in the FIA's second-tier championship this weekend.
He ultimately qualified seventh for Sunday's feature race with a time of 1:15.443.
Driving for the Rodin team, Dunne has won two F2 feature races in Bahrain and Imola this season, and currently leads the driver standings by three points ahead of the Netherlands' Richard Verschoor, who qualified third for Saturday.
He is also a reserve and development driver for McLaren's Formula E team.
