'Dream come true' - Offaly teen takes step towards F1 as he signs with McLaren

A young Offaly sportsman has taken a huge step towards his dream of driving in Formula 1 by signing a contract with McLaren, one of the biggest teams in the sport.

18-year-old Alex Dunne from Clonbullogue, Co Offaly, has been one of the county's fastest-rising sports stars over the last few years. 

Alex has described the deal to drive in the McLaren Driver Development Programme as a "dream come true." He added that he was "extremely excited to announce that I have joined the McLaren Driver Development Programme."

"Really excited to work with everyone in Papaya, can’t wait to get started this weekend in Imola," he added on social media.

Alex first appeared on the Offaly Express website back in 2018 when he was just 12 years of age. Despite his tender years at the time, he was already turning heads as one of Ireland's finest young kart racers.

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Since then, he has advanced through the classes and was recently signed up by MP Motorsport to take part in the FIA Formula 3 championship alongside two Red Bull starlets, Kacper Sztuka and Tim Tramnitz. Formula 3 is just two rungs below Formula 1 where Dunne is aiming. 

McLaren are one of the biggest names in Formula 1 at the moment and just recently landed victory in the Miami Grand Prix thanks to Lando Norris getting the better of runaway reigning champion Max Verstappen. 

Alex's first outing as a McLaren driver will be this weekend as he takes on the famous circuit at Imola in Italy for MP Motorsport.