McLaren urged to 'deal with Cadillac' after stunning rookie F1 debut

Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok has called on McLaren to strike a deal with Cadillac to sign Alex Dunne to a race drive next year.

Dunne made his FP1 debut with McLaren at the Austrian Grand Prix, stepping in for Lando Norris as the Woking-based squad carried out one of its four mandatory rookie outings.

The Irishman ended the session in fourth place, less than one-tenth behind championship leader and temporary team-mate Oscar Piastri.

Moving to F1 with McLaren in the near future does not appear to be a realistic option for Dunne as both Norris and Piastri are tied down to long-term deals.

But with the F1 grid expanding to 11 teams next year with the arrival of Cadillac, Chandhok has suggested it could be an option for Dunne.

“If I was McLaren now, I'd be trying to do a deal with Cadillac or someone like that, just based on everything he's shown,” Chandhok told Sky F1.

“He's the leader of the F2 championship and they've seen potential in testing. 

“We have seen it publicly today, but they've seen it. You want to find him a seat somewhere to build up some racing experience.”

It is not uncommon for junior drivers of major manufacturers to be loaned out to other teams, with Oliver Bearman currently racing for Haas despite being a Ferrari academy member.

Chandhok urged McLaren to take a similar approach to get him up to speed in F1 as soon as possible.

“Honestly, I'd be trying to get him a deal somewhere else for a period of time and farm him out,” he added.

“Have him on some sort of a tether that they can pull them back in, in a way that Mercedes has done in the past with George Russell, for example.

“If I was McLaren, I'd be trying to get him a racing somewhere.”