Red Bull eyes McLaren junior Dunne amid Tsunoda scrutiny

Sep.7 (GMM) Rumours are swirling at Monza that Red Bull could be circling young Irish talent Alex Dunne.

The 19-year-old, currently a McLaren development driver and racing in Formula 2 this year, impressed again by appearing for the Woking-based team in Friday practice.

But with Yuki Tsunoda’s future in doubt and Isack Hadjar tipped for a 2026 Red Bull Racing seat, paddock insiders suggest Dunne could be a contender for Racing Bulls in 2026 – especially if Liam Lawson is not retained.

Asked at Monza, Helmut Marko did not rule out the possibility.

For now, however, Red Bull insists Tsunoda will at least see out the season. “I think the short answer is yes,” Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies said when asked if the Japanese driver is safe until the end of 2025.

“We made it very clear that we have time with our driver decision,” he added. “We don’t plan to change during the season.

“Yuki has been making a good step in the last three races. We all want more, but he’s doing a good job. Fundamentally we have all our cards on the Red Bull side, and we can take a few more weeks – or months – to decide.”

Meanwhile, Marko believes Red Bull’s calmer post-Horner environment is already paying dividends. “There’s a completely different basis for discussion on the technical level, and that’s having a positive effect on the result,” he told Sky Deutschland.

“Yuki also made it to tenth place in Q3. You can see the upward trend.”

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