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Damon Hill had a one-word reaction to Lando Norris' replacement at McLaren for the Austrian GP FP1 session. Hill took to his official Instagram account to share his reaction as Alex Dunne is set to replace Norris at Spielberg this weekend.
Dunne, the F2 driver, who competes for Rodin Motorsport, is also part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme, as well as the reserve driver for the Papayas in Formula E. He will replace the British driver at the first practice session as F1 returns to Austria.
With this, Dunne will also be the first Irish driver to make his debut in F1 in 22 years. Ralph Firman, a former Irish F1 driver, was the last driver to have represented the country back in 2003. Sharing a post on the 19-year-old Dunne on his official Instagram story, Hill wrote:
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"Meteoric."
Here is Damon Hill's Instagram story:
Alex Dunne already got his first taste of F1 in May this year, when he drove the MCL60 at the Zaandvoort F1 Circuit. On the verge of his debut, the Irish driver said:
"It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to drive during FP1 in Austria. I’m really looking forward to getting laps in behind the wheel of the MCL39 and supporting the team with the setup for the race weekend ahead."
“I’ve been preparing well for the sessions, taking part in Testing of Previous Cars tests in the MCL60 and spending time on the simulator, which has been a fantastic learning experience. Thank you to Zak [Brown], Andrea [Stella] and Alessandro [Alunni Bravi] for their faith in me," he further added (via Racingnews365).
Oscar Piastri will drive his MCL39 alongside Alex Dunne in FP1. Lando Norris, however, will return to his car from FP2 onwards.
McLaren to back Oscar Piastri over Lando Norris for title, reckons former F1 driver
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher believes that McLaren will opt for Oscar Piastri over Lando Norris for the Drivers' Championship. Schumacher's statement came after Norris fumbled at the Canadian GP and crashed out of the race. Speaking to Sky Germany, here's what he said:
“I believe that it is now internally decided that Piastri is the man the team will focus on in terms of the World Championship. Lando shows too many weaknesses and makes too many mistakes, including his senseless driving into the back of Oscar in Canada.”
Currently, Oscar Piastri is leading the championship with 198 points after 10 races and two Sprints. Lando Norris is following him with 176 points. McLaren is leading the Constructors' Championship with 374 points.
