Alex Dunne has made clear that a race seat in Formula 1 is his sole objective despite the possibility he could land a Formula E drive for next season.
F2 championship leader Dunne impressed many observers who witnessed his F1 debut in replacing Lando Norris in first practice for the Austrian Grand Prix.
The 19-year-old Irishman was handed a calculated run plan that saw him build steadily into the session at the Red Bull Ring before a late outing on used soft tyres saw him finish fourth quickest, 0.224s behind Mercedes' George Russell, and just 0.069s behind team-mate Oscar Piastri.
Dunne's route to an F1 race seat with McLaren is naturally blocked by Norris and Piastri, who are on long-term contracts, seemingly leaving him with few options on the grid for next season should he go on to win the F2 title.
Should Dunne miss out, another season in F2 would be possible, whilst Formula E is also on the cards as this season he has been reserve and development driver for McLaren's FE team. He also took part in this week's test in Berlin, finishing fifth quickest.
Speaking to the media, and asked by RacingNews365 on whether FE was an option for next season should a chance in F1 fail to materialise, Dunne delivered a single-minded response.
"For me, the goal is still Formula 1," he said. "I want to be in F1, I want to be an F1 driver. Formula E has recently proven to be a very strong championship with strong drivers.
"Of course, this year, I've had the opportunity to be the reserve driver for them, and I have enjoyed that. But for me, the goal and the main focus are solely on F1."
Easier than expected for Dunne
Dunne took to the MCL39 like a duck to water, and regardless of engine mode and fuel setting, his lap time was eye-opening for a rookie with no previous experience of the car.
The former F4 British champion started with several laps of aerodynamic testing with a rake on the car, and on a set of soft tyres, before a run on Pirelli's hard rubber ahead of switching to the red-striped tyres again he had previously used.
Dunne, though, surprised even himself with how he adapted so quickly to the MCL39.
"To be honest, jumping into F1 from F2 for FP1 wasn't that difficult," said Dunne, given the session sandwiched F2 practice and qualifying. "I think the step up was definitely much easier than it was to step back down.
"Of course, there are different driving styles from one to the other, but because the F1 car has so much grip, for a driver like me who isn't in it every week, it feels like the car has an unlimited amount of capabilities.
"When I jumped in, I felt much more confident and comfortable than probably what I would have expected, and I got onto it a lot quicker than I would have expected.
"I've driven the '23 spec car in TPC testing already, but even at that, because I'm not in an F1 car all the time, when you jump back into it, it takes a couple of laps to find the rhythm again.
"To be honest, the jump up was definitely easier than what I would have expected."
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