F1 team announce new driver signing days before Australian Grand Prix

A new driver signing has been confirmed just days before the Australian Grand Prix.

This weekend, the much-anticipated 2026 Formula 1 season will kick off in Melbourne, Australia. The new campaign promises to be a classic, following major changes to the sport's technical regulations.

For example, the cars are now lighter, smaller and more agile, which should result in closer on-track battles. In addition, the power units have also been changed, with more reliance on the battery.

Drivers will be tasked with ensuring they have sufficient electrical power on the straights to complete easier overtakes.

During testing in Bahrain last month, the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren impressed. However, Aston Martin had a torrid time as they were hit with multiple issues on the AMR26.

F1 teams are gearing up for this weekend's Australian Grand Prix. Image: Getty

Ahead of this weekend's opening Grand Prix, one F1 team announced a new driver signing.

On Wednesday, Alpine confirmed the signing of Alex Dunne to the team's driver academy.

The team wrote on social media: "Welcoming @alexdunneracing to the BWT Alpine Academy.

"The Irishman will compete in @Formula2 this season with @RodinMotorsport."

Reacting to the news, Alpine team boss Flavio Briatore said: "We are pleased to welcome Alex to Alpine as a member of our Academy. His performances in FIA Formula 2 and also his Free Practice sessions in Formula One last year were impressive and he is clearly a very talented young driver with pure, natural speed.

"We have a talented pool of drivers in Formula 2 with Gabriele Mini and Kush Maini. We look forward to watching the three of them compete in FIA Formula 2 in 2026 where the goal is very clear: to win the Drivers’ Championship."

Alex Dunne has joined Alpine. Image: Getty

Before signing for Alpine, Dunne, 20, was on McLaren's books, having made his F1 debut in 2025.

The Irishman replaced Lando Norris for FP1 at the Austrian Grand Prix, as teams are required to put a rookie in the car for four FP1 sessions.

Dunne produced an impressive performance in his first F1 outing, finishing the session in P4, just 0.224 seconds off George Russell and a mere 0.069 seconds adrift of Oscar Piastri.

However, in October 2025, Dunne announced a shock exit from McLaren.

Why did Alex Dunne leave McLaren?

Explaining his decision to leave McLaren, Dunne stated a move away was to enhance the possibility of earning an F1 seat.

He said to Balls.ie: "For me, there's a goal and a plan in place, and that's to be a Formula One driver. From the options that I knew I had, the decision we made was one that had to be made to be in F1. I think it's as simple as that.

"It was actually my decision ... for me, I felt like it was the right decision. I'm more than comfortable with that. I'll always thank McLaren for that opportunity [to compete in FP1] and for what they did for me up until we decided to go our separate ways."