Surrey (England), May 16 : McLaren on Thursday signed Alex Dunne and Martinius Stenshorne for their Driver Development programme. Both currently race in Formula 3, Dunne for MP Motorsport and Stenshorne for Hitech Pulse-Eight.

"We're pleased to announce that Alex and Martinius have joined our Driver Development programme," said Stephanie Carlin, Director of F1 business operations, who runs the programme, in a statement. "They are both exciting and promising young talents within motorsport, with proven records on track in their respective junior categories including this season's FIA Formula 3 Championship.

"The entire team is looking forward to welcoming Alex and Martinius to the McLaren family and we'll be working closely to support their development within our talent pipeline."

Established in 2022, McLaren's Driver Development program directs young talent into the Formula E, IndyCar, and Formula One racing series.

After winning the British F4 Championship with Hitech Grand Prix in 2022, Dunne made an impression on McLaren. Earlier in the year, the 18-year-old Irishman secured his maiden F3 points with an impressive effort in Bahrain.

"It's an honour to join the McLaren Driver Development programme," said Dunne. "I'm looking forward to getting started with the team. McLaren provides the perfect environment for me to develop my skillset as I continue my journey in motorsport. I'm grateful for Zak and Stephanie's support and I'm excited to meet the rest of the team at MTC."

Having competed in rallying in the past, Norwegian Stenshorne was a frequent junior driver and has already experienced F3 success with an Australian Sprint race triumph.

"I'm incredibly excited to join the McLaren Driver Development programme, it's an honour to now be part of the McLaren family," said Stenshorne. "The team has a great history of developing talent, so I'm looking forward to growing with the team and learning from their expertise as I continue on my journey towards the top of motorsport. Thank you to Zak, Stephanie and the entire team for their faith in me, I can't wait to get started."

/IANS