Austrian GP Practice 1 LIVE updates as Ireland's Alex Dunne takes to McLaren car
The Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix is upon us this weekend, and first practice offers the drivers the opportunity to get dialled into the circuit ahead of qualifying and the race.
McLaren hold a healthy lead in the constructor's championship, while Oscar Piastri will hope to extend his driver's championship lead.
The championship leaders will give Offaly's Alex Dunne a run out in Lando Norris's MCL39, making him the first driver from Ireland to compete in an F1 weekend in 22 years.
The F2 championship leader will have a busy morning, having topped the F2 practice session earlier on before stepping into the McLaren.
After the session he will have to dash back to Rodin Motorsport to participate in F2 qualifying.
It's a hectic weekend in Spielberg as the Red Bull Ring hosts both F2 and F3 this weekend.
The chasing pack have made steps in recent weeks to eat into McLaren's advantage after George Russell's victory in Canada last time out.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Journal
35 minutes ago
- The Journal
'The best day of my life' - Irish teenager Alex Dunne makes superb F1 debut for McLaren
The 42 IRELAND'S ALEX DUNNE was the story of the first free practice (FP1) at the Austrian Grand Prix, turning heads on his Formula 1 debut. Offaly teenager Dunne, a McLaren junior and the current Formula 2 Championship leader, finished fourth in his first ever F1 session as he temporarily deputised for Lando Norris. Racing for the first time in the latest McLaren car, the MCL39, Dunne finished within a tenth of team-mate and F1 championship leader Oscar Piastri, with George Russell setting the FP1 pace just two tenths up the track. Russell saw off second-placed Max Verstappen by 0.065 seconds. Dunne's joy was immediately apparent upon his finish, with the 19-year-old telling his McLaren team over the radio: 'I want to say a massive thank you. A little boy's dream came true and it's definitely the best day of my life. 'So, thank you, everyone, for letting me do this, and thanks to Lando, as well, for trusting me with his car,' Dunne added. 'It means a lot.' Sky Sports F1 / X (Formerly Twitter) McLaren / X (Formerly Twitter) Speaking post-race, Dunne said he was 'super, super happy'. Advertisement 'I think it's fair to say it went pretty well,' he added. 'I think we knew going through the session that the goal wasn't necessarily for performance, it was more to help out with the car, help Lando, and kind of just help the team to improve as much as they can through FP2, FP3, and then onwards into the weekend. 'So, to have the pace that I had and show what I'm capable of on the F1 stage is something pretty special. A massive thank you to McLaren for the opportunity. I'm extremely grateful.' Alex Dunne exits the pit lane during the first free practice at the Austrian Grand Prix. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo McLaren team boss Andrea Stella was impressed by Dunne's performance, but particularly with how he achieved his team's objectives on his first run-out. 'Before we look at the time, we have to acknowledge that he has gone through quite an extensive plan of testing with some new parts,' Stella said. 'There was some work that won't be seen on TV but keeps the drivers very busy and you have to be very precise, very much on time. 'In all of this, Alex has been quite diligent and impressive. 'He had also a chance to show us his pace. It's no surprise he is a fast driver. 'We have to be careful looking at the lap times because his lap time came later in the stint when the fuel was down. But I think it's encouraging and impressive for Alex himself, and a good session for McLaren.' Written by The 42 and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won't find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women's sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here .
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Mercedes ramp up sensational Max Verstappen swoop despite bad blood with F1 rival George Russell
MERCEDES are ramping up their pursuit to sign Max Verstappen to form a dream team with George Russell. Toto Wolff confirmed today that there had been behind closed doors talks with the four-time world champion and that Mercedes were 'exploring' their future plans. 6 Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has not fuelled speculation that Max Verstappen could join his team Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 6 Wolff did not rule out the possibility of Russell and Verstappen becoming teammates at Mercedes Credit: Getty Russell, who is out of contract next year, also said that his team have been talking to Verstappen about signing a deal for 2026. Russell also suggested on Thursday that his contract talks with Wolff had been delayed by the ongoing talks with Verstappen. Wolff said: "There is no delay in George's contract negotiations because it's pretty clear, since a long time, what our timings were and are. "We have known each other for such a long time, so there is no such thing as a delay. READ MORE IN F1 "As team principal of the best car brand in the world, it's clear you explore what a four-time world champion will do in the future , "That could be long into the future . That has no effect on us putting a signature on George's contract." Four-time world champion Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull until 2028 which is said to have a break clause which could be triggered to prompt an exit. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Most read in Motorsport When asked who would be axed from Mercedes between 'That's not how it is and how it works. And I come back to my previous question. Ex-Red Bull mechanic claims Max Verstappen will quit F1 this year 'I want to just have the conversations behind closed doors not in town halls. And we have two drivers that have been in our programme since a long time. 'Drivers that I'm perfectly happy to have. Drivers that will do great in the future of the team. So it's a bit of a different situation.' Wolff suggested that Russell had been weighing up his options outside of Mercedes as well. Wolff added: 'We are going into territory that I don't want to discuss out here, but people talk, people explore. 'The most important thing is that in our organisation, we are transparent. But it doesn't change a millimetre of my opinion of George, his abilities or anything else. 'I like what George says and I'm always supportive of the driver. There is no such thing as saying things I wouldn't want him to say. 'We are very transparent in the team of what we do, what we plan. 'We've been like that since I was being put in charge of that. So that's not the issue. At the moment clearly, you need to explore what's happening in the future .' Eyebrows have been raised over whether Verstappen and Russell could fit in a team together with the duo having a history of bad blood. 6 The most recent incident involved When asked if the pair could drive together at Mercedes, Wolff added: 'I can imagine every line-up. 'Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton fighting for a world championship , so everything else afterwards is easy. 'There's pros and cons of having two drivers fighting each other hard. We've seen examples where that functioned and other examples where it didn't. 'When it comes to the contract situation, you know, our sport is pressure, constant pressure, whether you're in the car, outside of the car, you just need to cope with that. 'George knows that, like any other driver.' 6 Max Verstappen was handed a 10-second penalty and three penalty points for "undoubtedly" causing his collision with George Russell in Barcelona Earlier this year Wolff said zero negotiations had been held with Verstappen and that they were not 'flirting' with the prospect of signing him. He said: 'There is no flirt (with Verstappen) in that sense. You can flirt or you have conversations. 'It is in the nature of the sport that you talk about people, whether they're in the car or in the factory or in the racetrack. 'Most important thing is to stay true to your values. And for me, that is being integral and humble about the situation, respectful of the people. 'That's what we are trying to do in the team. I've been in situations like this before. Some of the conversations are more difficult than others.' Mercedes ' interest in Verstappen, hinting that it could be delaying his contract renewal due at the end of the season. 6 Russell won the Canadian Grand Prix last time out, with team-mate Kimi Antontelli grabbing his first podium aged 18 Credit: Shutterstock Editorial The Brit, 27, told Sky: "It's only normal that conversations with the likes of Verstappen are ongoing. "But from my side, if I'm performing as I'm doing, what have I got to be concerned about? There are two seats in every Formula 1 team. Toto has made it clear to me that how I'm performing is as good as anybody. "There is only one driver that you can debate in terms of performance. These are his words and not my words, and that is why I have no concern about my future . "But there are two seats to every team and I guess he needs to think who are those two drivers." 6
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Offer to help ‘wake up' Michael Schumacher rejected by stricken F1 legend's wife Corinna, ex-teammate reveals
MICHAEL Schumacher 's wife Corinna rejected offers to help "wake up" the F1 legend, a former teammate has revealed. Italian F1 star Riccardo Patrese said he offered to help the 5 Schumacher has not been seen in public since he suffered a serious head injury in 2013 Credit: Alamy 5 Michael Schumacher and his wife Corinna before his accident in 2013 Credit: Alamy 5 Riccardo Patrese said he offerd to help with Schuey's recovery 5 Michael Schumacher (left) with teammate Riccardo Patrese (right) Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd World champion Schumacher has not been seen in public since he Pal Patrese said he believed a familiar voice would help the former Ferarri and Mercedes star to recover from his tragic accident. He told : " Then he had the accident. "That is a very sad moment. You know that sometimes if they hear [a familiar voice], some boys wake up, that they recognise a voice. "I asked [Schumacher's wife] Corinna if they wanted me to go there and try to help if I could. "Well, if I could, I would have, but they said, 'No, thank you'. She said it's not the moment. But that moment has never come." Schumacher's wife Corinna has spent the years since creating a private world around Michael as he continues his recovery. Most read in Motorsport Over the last decade, his condition has remained a secret. Schuey Blackmail Plot Patrese added: "I know nothing [about his illness], but from the first moment of course I was in very good connection with Michael, because of the national team of drivers for soccer for charity. "He was the captain of the team. When I left, I gave to him the armband of the captain and he was really very happy to do it." In 2022, Late F1 legend Eddie Jordan told the Irish Mirror he tried to arrange a visit with Schumacher, but his efforts were reportedly rebuffed. Many pals have previously tried to offer help to the F1 legend get back on his feet. But one former teammate is hopeful that the Formula One icon is "on the mend" after his first public act in 12 years. His autograph marks the stricken F1 legend's only public act since his devastating ski accident in the French Alps almost 12 years ago. He is said to have signed it with the help of Corinna as an image showed his initials "M.S" on the bottom right of the iconic white helmet. What happened to Michael Schumacher? MICHAEL Schumacher's life was hanging by a thread 12 years ago as medics tried desperately to keep him alive after a tragic skiing crash that left him with horrific brain injuries. The F1 legend was given the best possible treatment as he was put into a medically induced coma, had his body temperature lowered and underwent hours of tricky operations on his brain. Back in 2013, the retired seven-time world champion, and his then Footage from his helmet camera revealed he was He catapulted forward 11.5ft and crashed into a boulder head first that split his helmet into two and left him needing to be airlifted to hospital for At one point his family were told to brace themselves for the worst case scenario as the situation was much worse than originally believed. At the time, medics said But the coma ended up lasting 250 days - more than eight months. After he woke up in June 2014, he was discharged from hospital and sent to his home in Lake Geneva to get further treatment. Since then his wife Corinna and his inner circle of friends have expertly avoided almost anything leaking out about his Only small amounts of information have been released including reports that Schumacher was in a wheelchair but In 2019, it was said that Renowned Following Schumacher's teammate at Benetton between 1994 to 1995, Johnny Herbert, described the signature as an "emotional" moment. He told "We haven't seen something emotional like this in years, and hopefully, it's a sign. "Hopefully, Michael is on the mend. It's been a long, horrible journey for the family, and maybe we'll hopefully see him in the F1 paddock soon." Schumacher now lives at a £50million custom-built property on the shores of Lake Geneva in Only a handful of trusted people are aware of his current health status, including e He recently The legendary Formula One driver is believed to have flown from his family's villa in Majorca to their Swiss mansion in a chopper to Read more on the Irish Sun Gina revealed she was pregnant shortly after There was speculation at the time that her 5
