The 19-year-old, who is currently leading the FIA Formula 2 Championship with Rodin Motorsport, is a member of the McLaren driver development programme and also serves as a reserve and development driver for McLaren’s Formula E team.
Dunne said he was excited to be given the opportunity to drive in his first grand prix weekend.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to drive during FP1 in Austria,” he said.
“I’m really looking forward to getting laps in behind the wheel of the MCL39 and supporting the team with the setup for the race weekend ahead.
“I’ve been preparing well for the sessions, taking part in testing of previous cars tests in the MCL60 and spending time on the simulator, which has been a fantastic learning experience.
“Thank you to Zak [Brown], Andrea [Stella] and Alessandro [Bravi] for their faith in me. It’s a great step within my development with the McLaren driver development programme, and I’m really excited to join the team trackside.”
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella said the session would give Dunne useful time with the team in a race weekend environment.
“It’s great to be able to give Alex the opportunity to run in FP1, and for him to get valuable time behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car as part of his development,” Stella explained.
“The team are pleased to be working with him more closely, and for his support across the weekend, where he will be providing useful feedback to help with the car’s setup.
“The rookie sessions are fantastic for seeing the talent of tomorrow and enabling that rare chance to get time in a current car, so we look forward to seeing him on track.”
Dunne made his single-seater debut in the 2021 Spanish Formula 4 Championship, securing pole position and a podium on debut.
The following season, he claimed a combined 16 race wins while competing in the British, UAE and Italian Formula 4 championships, earning the British F4 title before finishing runner-up in the GB3 Championship in 2023.
He joined McLaren’s development program in May 2024 while competing in FIA Formula 3, finishing the season 14th overall.
So far in 2025, he has claimed two feature race wins, two sprint podiums, and a pole position to lead the F2 standings by three points over Dutchman Richard Verschoor.
Dunne’s FP1 appearance fulfils one of McLaren’s four mandated rookie driver sessions required to be covered by two different rookies across the 2025 season.
Earlier this year, the team announced Pato O’Ward would take part in FP1 at his home race in Mexico later this season, with further announcements to be made regarding their remaining two rookie sessions.
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