Dunne to Pilot McLaren in Second FP1 Appearance at Monza
Monza,Italy – Formula 2 driver David Dunne will return to the cockpit of a McLaren F1 car for the first practice session at the italian Grand Prix this weekend. This marks Dunne’s second FP1 outing with the team,following his debut at the Austrian Grand Prix in June where he finished fourth,a mere 0.069 seconds behind Oscar Piastri.
The Monza run fulfills McLaren’s obligation to the Formula 1 regulation mandating each team to participate in two FP1 sessions with a rookie driver per car this season. Lando Norris previously yielded his seat to Dunne in Austria. While McLaren has not officially announced which driver Dunne will replace, sources indicate it will be Piastri. Dunne balances his F1 commitments with a concurrent Formula 2 championship bid,where he currently sits fifth in the standings,30 points behind leader Leonardo Fornaroli with four rounds remaining.
“I’m super excited to be back for my second FP1 with McLaren in Monza this weekend,” Dunne stated. “My first one in Austria was an extremely special day for me, but I think to do it again in Monza, which is a track that’s so historic and prestigious, is definitely going to put a very big smile on my face.” He added, ”Really looking forward to it. Hopefully, I can build and improve on what was already a strong outing in Austria, and help Lando and Oscar as much as possible going into their weekend.”
Looking ahead, McLaren has scheduled indycar star Pato O’Ward for an FP1 session at the Mexico City Grand Prix, leaving one remaining session to be assigned. Dunne will also compete in the F2 race at Monza, making for a busy weekend as he continues his pursuit of the F2 championship title.
