ALEX DUNNE shared a tender moment with his family after living “a little boy’s dream” on his Formula 1 debut with McLaren.
The Offaly teenager, 19, filled in for Lando Norris for the first free practice session at the Austrian GP.
He more than lived up to the billing, driving fourth fastest in the session.
Dunne’s finished less than a tenth of a second behind teammate and F1 Championship leader Oscar Piastri.
After crossing the finish line at the Red Bull Ring, he sent an emotional message of thanks to the McLaren garage.
He said: ““A little boy’s dream came true, and this is definitely the best day of my life.
“Thank you everyone for letting me do this, and thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car.”
When he got back to the garage, the Irishman was greeted by his family, with hugs aplenty, while he was congratulated by his brother who was wearing an Offaly GAA jersey.
By driving in Austria, Dunne was the first Irishman to take part in an F1 weekend since Ralph Firman in 2003.
English-born Firman raced under an Irish licence for Jaguar.
Dunne is also the first driver born on the island of Ireland to take part since Eddie Irvine, who was born in Co Down, left the grid after ten seasons in 2002.
And he is the first born in the Republic since Tommy Byrne, who took part in two grands prix with backmarker Theodore in 1982.
Lando Norris retook the seat from Dunne for FP2 and FP3.
Commenting after the session, Dunne said: “I don’t even know where to start.
“Super, super happy. i think it is safe to say it went pretty well.
“We knew going through the session that the goal wasn’t necessarily performance, it was more to help out with the car, help Lando, and just help the team improve as much as they can for FP2, FP3 and then onwards into the weekend.
“To have the pace and show what I am capable of on the F1 stage is something pretty special.”
Dunne’s star has been rising since making his F2 debut under the McLaren banner in March.
He made a dream start to the 2025 season by becoming the first Irish driver to win an F2 race with victory at Bahrain in April.
And after being involved in a dramatic 11-car crash in Monaco last month, he bounced back by climbing 17 places in Barcelona’s sprint race to finish second.
That podium finish alongside winner Richard Verschoor and third-placed Rafael Villagomez saw Dunne take the outright lead in the F2 standings, further growing his reputation within McLaren.
He will also take part in F2 in Austria, with qualifying starting just over two hours after stepping out of Lando’s car.
Dunne then has the F2 sprint race on Saturday and Sunday’s feature race.
