Alex Dunne has headed out early with an aero rake attached to his (just for FP1) car, McLaren keen to gather as much data as possible on those updates before Lando Norris jumps back in for second practice.

Andy Gray
BBC Sport NI

Image source, Getty Images

Alex Dunne's breakout year came in 2022, when he dominated the British F4 championship and came second in Italian F4 behind now Mercedes F1 driver Kimi Antonelli.

He finished second in the GB3 Championship as a rookie the following year, and impressed on his debut at the Macau GP.

After stepping onto the global stage, Formula 3 didn't go as well as he hoped last season despite two podiums, but his progress after being signed by McLaren that May was clear.

He's returned to the front in Formula 2 this year as a rookie, and leads the championship with two victories and a pole position in Monaco.

Fernando Alonso will be 44 years old next month.

First practice is green.

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Austria has been earmarked as a sprint event for the past three years but for 2025, we return to the standard weekend format of three practice sessions.

Pirelli have selected the same tyres as last year, with the C3 as the hard, the C4 as the medium and the C5 as the soft compound. The green intermediates and blue full wets are also along for the ride, if needed.

Summer is officially here, so as air and track temperatures rise at the Red Bull Ring, managing tyre overheating is one of the main priorities for drivers across the grid.

BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

A warm welcome to Rosanna Tennant, Ben Edwards, British racing driver Alice Powell and F1 correspondent Andrew Benson for the first time this weekend.

Commentray is available by clicking the 'listen live' tab at the top of this page. You can also listen on BBC Sounds or by asking your smart speaker to play BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

Image source, FIA

McLaren - new front and rear suspension aerodynamics and rear geometry;

Ferrari - entire new floor;

Red Bull - floor edge;

Mercedes - circuit specific brake and engine cover cooling;

Racing Bulls - front and rear wings;

Sauber - floor and rear wing.

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Ferrari are also giving a rookie a chance in Austria, so we say hello again to 21-year-old Dino Beganovic, who takes the wheel of Charles Leclerc's car for the second time this season.

Swede Beganovic made his F1 weekend debut in Bahrain in April and is competing in his maiden Formula 2 campaign with Hitech TGR.

Andy Gray
BBC Sport NI

Image source, Getty Images

Alex Dunne will become the first Irish driver in 22 years to participate on a Formula 1 weekend.

The last was Ralph Firman, who was born in England but raced under an Irish licence for Jordan in 2003.

Eddie Irvine was the last driver born on the island of Ireland to race in F1.

Irvine, who was from Northern Ireland, competed with a UK racing licence for Jordan, Ferrari and Jaguar from 1993 until 2002.

The last drivers born in the Republic of Ireland were Derek Daly and Tommy Byrne, who both raced way back in 1982.

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This is a big day for Alex Dunne.

The 19-year-old has already been on Formula 2 duties this morning (he was quickest in practice) and now he's about to make his Formula 1 weekend debut when he takes the place of McLaren's Lando Norris for the opening hour in Austria.

Rookie Dunne is leading the F2 championship in his first year after wins in Bahrain and Imola for Rodin Motorsport.

Mercedes slipped to third place after the Spanish Grand Prix earlier this month but a double podium in Montreal has lifted them back up to second and above Ferrari, with 16 points separating the two teams. McLaren are still leading the way in the constructors' championship by 175 points.

Aston Martin have also gained a place following a drop off in Barcelona. Fernando Alonso's six points in Canada means Aston are now eighth, just two points clear of Sauber in ninth.

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Oscar Piastri didn't make the podium in Canada ( he came fourth) but with his team-mate Lando Norris walking away empty handed from round 10, the Australian's lead over the Briton at the top of the drivers' championship is now 22 points.

Max Verstappen was runner-up to George Russell in Montreal and while he stays in third place in the standings, the gap between himself and Norris is only 21 points.

Esteban Ocon collected two points for his tally in Montreal, lifting him above Racing Bulls Isack Hadjar by one point and into ninth place.

Image source, Getty Images

Lorraine McKenna
BBC Sport Journalist

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Hello, folks. We're camped in Europe now until the summer break (and for a couple races after), with the opening stop on the jam-packed tour being the Austrian Grand Prix.

First practice gets under way at 12:30 BST.

Second practice goes green at 16:00 BST.

Canada last time out was a Mercedes weekend, with George Russell taking victory from pole position while third-placed Kimi Antonelli, at 18 years and 294 days, became the third-youngest driver to achieve an F1 podium, behind Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll.

Image source, Getty Images

But the main talking point was the collision between team-mates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris as the pair fought for fourth place. This wasn't a fiery coming together: Norris held his hands up straight away and acknowledged he misjudged the late overtake.

What will Austria bring the McLaren pair, and the rest of the grid, this weekend? Let's find out...