Alex Dunne flys the Irish flag leading the Formula 2 Championship

May 22, 2025

Alex Dunne is flying the Irish flag in the Formula 2 as he leads the championship heading into the weekend.

The 19-year-old from Offaly pulled off a hugely impressive victory at Imola on Sunday to move six points clear of Luke Browning.

Driving for Rodin Motorsport, Dunne started Imola in sixth but forced his way to the front of the pack in brilliant fashion. He then held first place for eight laps before crossing the chequered flag.

He will now head to Monaco this weekend full of confidence and plotting another statement performance.

Dunne knows it’s not time to get ahead of himself with 10 races remaining of the season. He said in Imola: “Leading the championship is cool. But leading at the end of the 14 weekends of the year is what matters.”

Alex Dunne rising through the ranks

Dunne started his career in single-seat racing in the Spanish F4, alongside a partial campaign in ADAC Formula 4.

Having achieved three poles and three fastest laps, he moved to British, UAE and Italian F4 in 2022.

Dunne dominantly won the British F4 championship with 11 wins and finished second during the Italian season.

In 2023 he raced in GB3, aimed at young drivers moving up from Formula 4, where he finished runner-up.

Last year, he moved up to FIA Formula 3 with MP Motorsport, becoming a McLaren Driver Development Programme Member in the process.

There’s still a long way to go if Dunne has ambitions to race in Formula 1, but he’s certainly on the right track. If he’s still leading the pack at the end of the season, it will certainly have constructors taking notice.

There have only been five Irish F1 drivers in the history of the sport, with two securing at least a point. Ralph Firman was the last in 2003 when he earned a point in Spain.

The most notable was Derek Daly, who raced between 1978 and 1982. He earned 15 points across that period, with the highlight being a fourth-placed finish.