McLaren has announced that Alex Dunne and Martinius Stenshorne have become the two latest additions to the Formula 1 squad’s Driver Development Programme.
Dunne won the 2022 British Formula 4 Championship alongside a second-place finish in the Italian F4 category before being named vice-champion in the GB3 series.
The Irishman, 18, has since graduated to Formula 3 this term with MP Motorsport and sits 17th in the Drivers’ Championship with two points scores from four races.
“It’s an honour to join the McLaren Driver Development programme and I’m looking forward to getting started with the team,” Dunne said.
“McLaren provides the perfect environment for me to develop my skillset as I continue my journey in motorsport.
“I’m grateful for Zak [Brown, CEO] and Stephanie’s [Carlin, F1 Business Operations Director] support and I’m excited to meet the rest of the team at MTC.”
Meanwhile, Stenshorne, 18, is also embarking upon his maiden campaign in the third-tier championship and he landed the race win in the Australian Grand Prix Sprint.
The Norwegian took two podiums in the Italian F4 Championship in 2022 and placed second in the Formula Regional European Championship with five wins last term.
“I’m incredibly excited to join the McLaren Driver Development programme, it’s an honour to now be part of the McLaren family,” Stenshorne expressed.
“The team has a great history of developing talent, so I’m looking forward to growing with the team and learning from their expertise as I continue on my journey towards the top of motorsport. Thank you to Zak, Stephanie and the entire team for their faith in me, I can’t wait to get started.”
The pair become the latest recruits to McLaren’s Junior ranks, which include: Pato O’Ward, Ryo Hirawaka, Ugo Ugochukwu, Gabriel Bortoleto and Bianca Bustamante.
