McLaren Racing has announced that Alex Dunne and Martinius Stenshorne have joined their Driver Development programme as the Woking-based squad continues to add to their roster.
Dunne, aged 18, has risen through the ranks in impressive fashion. Despite missing the final round due to Italian F4 commitments, the Irishman from Offaly won the British F4 championship by 69 points in 2022 as he dominated the season with 11 victories.
He’s also finished runner-up in the 2022 Italian F4 and 2023 GB3 championships to Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Callum Voisin respectively.
This year he is in Formula 3 with MP Motorsport and has continued to show his strong race pace, coming from the outside the top 10 in qualifying to score points in Bahrain and Australia.
Stenshorne, also 18, comes off the back of finishing 2nd to the very gifted Andrea Kimi Antonelli in a championship as well. The Norwegian had a very strong season as he pushed the Italian hard in FRECA last year, winning 5 races.
He’s also made the step up to FIA F3 this year. Stenshorne took a superb win in the Sprint in Melbourne to get his campaign off to a good start.
Stephanie Carlin, Director, F1 Business Operations, said: “We’re pleased to announce that Alex and Martinius have joined our Driver Development programme. They are both exciting and promising young talents within motorsport, with proven records on track in their respective junior categories including this season’s FIA Formula 3 Championship.
“The entire team is looking forward to welcoming Alex and Martinius to the McLaren family and we’ll be working closely to support their development within our talent pipeline.”
Alex Dunne, Driver, McLaren Driver Development, said: “It’s an honour to join the McLaren Driver Development programme and I’m looking forward to getting started with the team. McLaren provides the perfect environment for me to develop my skillset as I continue my journey in motorsport. I’m grateful for Zak and Stephanie’s support and I’m excited to meet the rest of the team at MTC.”
Martinius Stenshorne, Driver, McLaren Driver Development, said: “I’m incredibly excited to join the McLaren Driver Development programme, it’s an honour to now be part of the McLaren family. 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.”
