Helmut Marko confirms: talks with Dunne about 2026

Dr. Helmut Marko has openly shown interest in Alex Dunne. "He is a very fast, aggressive young driver. He fits well with Red Bull," said the Red Bull advisor. With the abrupt departure of the 19-year-old talent from McLaren, the musical chairs for 2026 has officially begun.

Marko confirms: talks will take place

The strong rumors linking Dunne to Red Bull have now been officially confirmed. Dr. Helmut Marko admitted in an interview that talks will take place with the Irish driver.

More about Helmut Marko

Marko Laughs Off Angry Wolff’s Outburst

Dec 1

Marko Mocks Norris After Costly Error in Las Vegas

Nov 26

"He is a very fast, aggressive young driver. He fits well with Red Bull," said Marko. A clearer signal of interest could hardly be given.

Where McLaren offered a dead end, Red Bull offers a concrete path to F1 via sister team Racing Bulls. The proposed trajectory is attractive: a second F2 season in 2026 with a realistic chance of an F1 debut in 2027.

McLaren's fundamental talent problem repeats itself

This is a repeat performance at McLaren. At the end of 2024, F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto left for the same reason to Sauber/Audi.

With Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locked into long-term contracts, the door to an F1 seat at McLaren is hermetically sealed. For ambitious young drivers, that's a dead end.

McLaren unintentionally functions as a luxury training academy for the competition. The team invests heavily in young talent, but can't offer them progression to F1.

Internal Red Bull play-off becomes ruthless

Dunne's arrival puts the entire Red Bull junior program on edge. With Isack Hadjar, Arvid Lindblad, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda all fighting for a limited number of seats, a ruthless internal 'play-off' emerges.

The careers of Lawson and Tsunoda now hang by a thread. The arrival of a new top talent significantly reduces their chances.

This is the Red Bull model: harsh, ruthless, but effective. For every talent that succeeds, several fall off in the selection.

Red Bull's meat grinder proves magnet for top talent

Red Bull is known for its harsh selection process. The 'meat grinder' is both intimidating and attractive.

But for top talent, it's the only real route to the F1 grid. McLaren's model of stability at the top creates a bottleneck. Red Bull's model, often criticized for its harshness, proves to be the ultimate magnet.

The irony? McLaren's own success with Norris and Piastri strengthens their biggest rival's talent pool for the coming years.

2027 possible F1 debut for Dunne

The proposed trajectory for Alex Dunne is clear: a second F2 season in 2026 followed by a possible F1 debut in 2027 with Racing Bulls.

For a 19-year-old driver, that's an irresistible promise. The musical chairs for 2026 has officially begun, and Dunne seems to play a leading role in the story.