Helmut Marko confirmed negotiations with Alex Dann.

      Helmut Marko has confirmed talks with Alex Dunn about bringing the Irish driver into Red Bull’s junior programme, although there have been no official announcements yet.

      Since May 2024 Dunn had been working with McLaren, but on Thursday the British team issued an unexpected press release saying that Alex’s contract had been terminated. No reasons were given, but the same day rumours emerged that the 19‑year‑old Irishman could move to Red Bull, which at the time were unconfirmed.

      However Marko, the Austrian company’s motorsport advisor, did not hide it in an interview with BBC Sport: “Now that he’s free, we are in talks. He is a very aggressive and quick driver who handles the car’s behaviour on track very well. At the same time he makes quite a few mistakes, but he very much resembles a Red Bull driver.”

      Dunn already has experience driving a Formula 1 car: last June he did his first run in a McLaren and posted an impressive fourth‑fastest time in that session, just 0.069 seconds slower than Oscar Piastri, the championship leader.

      Apparently Dunn’s management failed to agree terms for further cooperation with McLaren that would suit both parties. Contacts with Alpine F1 also led nowhere, although the Irishman’s representatives were “testing the waters” in that direction too.

      If a deal with Red Bull is ultimately signed, Dunn will continue gaining experience in Formula 2 next year, while getting a chance to move to Racing Bulls in 2027.

      On his social media pages Alex hinted at some interesting prospects opening up to him, stressing that it “really excites” him.

      With two rounds remaining in the F2 season Dunn sits fifth in the standings but trails the leader, Leonardo Fornaroli, by 58 points and is not among the genuine contenders for the title. Although over the course of the season he has several times attracted attention, with a couple of wins (in Bahrain and Imola) and several podiums to his name.