Helmut Marko hints ex-McLaren F1 junior Alex Dunne isn’t an option for Red Bull

Helmut Marko has hinted that Alex Dunne is no longer an option for Red Bull as they look to bolster their line-up for 2026.

Earlier this month, McLaren announced that they had parted ways with Dunne.

Dunne had been part of their junior programme and drove their 2025 F1 car in two FP1 sessions.

It was thought Dunne’s departure was linked to a likely move to the Red Bull junior programme.

Marko has previously expressed interest in signing the Irish driver.

However, he poured cold water on any links to Dunne in a recent interview with Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung.

The Red Bull advisor said: “He [Dunne] is not an option for us.”

Red Bull’s 2026 line-up

Red Bull have three seats to fill for 2026.

One of them will be filled by Isack Hadjar, who is set to be promoted alongside Max Verstappen.

The two Racing Bulls seats are also up for grabs. 

Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson will need to impress in the final part of the season.

Marko revealed that Red Bull plan to make a decision after the Mexico City Grand Prix next weekend.

“We’ll make our decision after Mexico,” Marko added.

Speaking of Tsunoda, he said: “They paid more attention to him, which has brought some success. He knows he still needs results.”

What about Lindblad?

Arvid Lindblad is also in contention to join the Racing Bulls next year.

The 18-year-old is currently racing in Formula 2 but sits outside the top five of the standings.

Regardless, Marko feels he would be ready to make the step up to F1.

“Generally speaking, yes,” Marko said.

“And we’ve seen in the past that age plays a role in Formula 1. But generally speaking, he’s another one of our hopes. We’ll see him in the car this year, too.”