What's behind Alex Dunne's McLaren F1 exit and Red Bull rumours

F2 frontrunner Alex Dunne's surprise exit from McLaren's junior programme paves the way for employment elsewhere on the F1 grid, but rumours of an imminent Red Bull deal appear premature at this stage.

Red Bull's driver advisor Helmut Marko has been scouring the junior paddocks for the next big talent, as he has done for decades, and it is no secret Dunne has been one of the drivers the Austrian has had preliminary talks with.

Dunne has emerged as an interesting prospect this year after a playing a role in the F2 title battle by taking two poles, two wins and seven podiums, although he has dropped from the lead to fifth in recent months. His performances have landed him a brace of McLaren FP1 outings in Austria and Italy, with the team impressed by his feedback and demeanour.

Alexander Dunne, McLaren

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images

Meanwhile, Marko and Red Bull are weighing up what to do with their driver line-ups across Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls in 2026, with all signs pointing to impressive 2025 rookie Isack Hadjar joining Max Verstappen at the main team.

That leaves three drivers fighting for the two remaining Racing Bulls seats; incumbent Liam Lawson, Red Bull's under-pressure Yuki Tsunoda and the team's highly rated reserve driver Arvid Lindblad, who has been prepared behind the scenes for a possible 2026 debut, but has also been behind Dunne in the F2 pecking order.

But Red Bull's fleeting interest in Franco Colapinto late last season shows it is always keen to keep its options open and not dismiss outside alternatives, even if the preference is to promote from within. Marko has also held talks with Dunne and his management in recent months ahead of a final decision at the end of October.

That makes the timing of Dunne's immediate departure from McLaren on the eve of the Singapore Grand Prix particularly intriguing, but Motorsport.com understands the Irishman's exit is not directly linked to any breakthrough in his Red Bull talks. Instead, it is understood McLaren and Dunne were in talks over his future and, with the Irishman's camp turning down the squad's latest offer, McLaren decided to end the relationship.

Alexander Dunne, McLaren

Photo by: Federico Manoni / NurPhoto via Getty Images

As McLaren's current title protagonists Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are signed up to long-term contracts, it is clear McLaren wasn't in a position to promise Dunne a clear pathway to F1 promotion, much like his predecessor Gabriel Bortoleto was released to Sauber ahead of 2025.

The Red Bull family appears one of the few realistic options Dunne has to speed up his bid to land an F1 seat. Alpine is the main other team that has a vacancy for 2026, but Motorsport.com understands Dunne is not on the Enstone team's radar.

Either way, Dunne's camp must clearly believe it has better options elsewhere, but the Irishman donning Red Bull colours is by no means a foregone conclusion.