Ryan Smart
Alex Dunne could be barred from racing in Formula 1 in 2026 after leaving his role as McLaren development driver.
The 19-year-old, who currently competes in Formula 2, announced on Thursday that he had mutually agreed his exit from the team.
In a statement posted to Instagram, Dunne thanked the McLaren team and stated: "Still two important rounds left to focus on this year, very excited for what's to come."
Last month, it was reported that Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko had held preliminary discussions with Dunne ahead of the 2026 season.
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The Austrian refused to deny interest in the driver when asked by PlanetF1.
He has also been linked with potentially replacing Franco Colapinto as Pierre Gasly's team-mate at struggling Alpine.
Dunne, who currently competes for Rodin Motorsport in F2, led the Drivers' Championship after race six in Spain.
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But he has had mixed results since, including a disqualification from the feature race in Austria due to excessive plank wear.
At the F2 meeting in Italy, Dunne finished third in the sprint race but retired from the feature race after being hit by Red Bull junior driver Arvid Lindblad.
And most recently in Azerbaijan, the repeat scenario occurred, but this time Dunne was hit by championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli.
He also triggered a 15-car pile-up during the Monaco feature race.
The Irishman is now placed fifth in the standings - which could place any participation in F1 next season in major doubt.
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Dunne currently has not collected the 40 points required to gain a full FIA Super Licence.
He will have 16 of those points, collected in 2022, removed at the end of the calendar year as Super Licence points expire after three years.
Therefore, as per Super Licence Tracker, the 19-year-old will need to finish third in the F2 standings and pick up the maximum 40 points to qualify for a Super Licence.
Should he not pick up the necessary points, however, any F1 team planning on signing him can apply for an exemption.
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In June, Red Bull successfully applied for a Super Licence for Lindblad, who was previously unable to obtain one as he was under 18 and did not have a valid driving licence.
In their reasoning behind the decision, the FIA stated that their World Council 'found that the driver has recently and consistently demonstrated outstanding ability and maturity in single-seater formula car competition and therefore approved the request'.
The ruling means that Lindblad can compete in F1 weekends despite not having the necessary Super Licence points.
Dunne has competed in free practice sessions for McLaren this season but that participation only requires a Free Practice Super Licence.
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Dunne could point to his two F2 wins and five podiums this season as proof that he is indeed talented enough to compete in F1.
In addition, without the recent string of retirements that he bore no fault for, Dunne would be a concrete championship contender.
As it is, he is 31 points behind third-placed Luke Browning, which he would need to overhaul to automatically qualify for the Super Licence.