Formula 1 is the most prestigious motorsport championship in the world, and every young driver dreams of one day winning the Drivers’ crown.
People don’t just watch it- they get immersed in following their favourite teams and country’s stars. But currently, there are no Irish drivers competing. But hope is on the horizon; Alex Dunne, a rising hopeful is who showed an interest in the sport as early as the age of eight is coming…
Dunne certainly has the unwavering support of Irish fans behind him. So, what are his chances? A quick look at the Irish bookmakers like Betfree.ie will show that many favour Dunne’s chances in Formula 1, but what’s lead to that?
The rise of Alex Dunne
Alex Dunne was born in 2005 in Offaly and likely picked up the love for racing from his father Noel Dunne who was also a racing driver. Noel Dunne last raced in 2014 but has a list of achievements such as twice winning the Irish Formula Ford Championship and also the Formula Ford Festival.
Even though Alex Dunne began go-karting before he hit his teens, it wasn’t until 2021 that he entered his first professional race. Dunne made his debut in the F4 Spanish Championship with Pinnacle Motorsport, where he entered nine races but sadly came out in 16th place.
Only a year later, Dunne bagged first place in the F4 British Championship and won 11 out of 27 races with 17 podiums. At this exact moment, the world realized he could be the leading Formula 1 hopeful for Ireland, rising from his previous disappointing run and proving his worth in the industry.
After this, several articles were published naming Dunne as the “underdog” and huge media outlets began following him. In many interviews, Dunne describes Formula 1 as being the “goal” since childhood, and this is appearing more likely by the day. Nonetheless, bounds of hard work and determination are required to get there.
Such a performance from an Irishman was almost forgotten. The last Formula 1 drivers to be highly praised were Ralph Firman, a British-Irish legend who competed in a total of 14 grands prix, and Eddie Irvine who began his Formula 1 career in the 1993 Japanese Grand Prix for Irish team owner, the late Eddie Jordan. Despite going to on to race for Ferrari nd win four grands prix, he only managed runner up in the 1999 Drivers’ Chamionship.
However, these talented individuals raced in the early 2000s and have since retired gracefully, so there is no doubt that a new Irish driver needs to be nurtured, and it’s looking like Alex Dunne.
Subsequently, Dunne came second in the Italian F4 Championship in 2022, and then the GB3 Championship in 2023. However, a series of knockbacks in the races to come put a dark cloud over the big dreams, including a devastating crash in the Macau Grand Prix which prevented him from finishing. That is, until 2024…
Recent form and wins
Dunne’s second appearance in the Macau Grand Prix led to a sixth-position finish, which is impressive for a racer who has little experience with this calibre of motorsport.
However, it was his performance in the FIA Formula 2 Championship this year that got people talking again. The second-tier championship is still ongoing, but Dunne is racing with Rodin Motorsport and doing so fantastically. Despite a disappointing start in Melbourne where Dunne and five others were given penalties for modifications to their cars, things could only go up from here.
In the next race, a triumphant win in Bahrain, Dunne became the first ever Irish driver to win a Formula 2 race, giving him the momentum he needed to also secure a win at Imola and push him to first place in the rankings. What other records can he break? We can’t wait to find out.
Dunne’s superior performance in Formula 2 is vital because it can be used as a step to reach Formula 1. Legend Charles Leclerc also took this path before transitioning to Formula 1 at the young age of 21.
Although there are several races to go, and fierce competition like Martins, Browning, Crawford, and Lindblad, Dunne needs to stay consistent and focused.
Formula 1 and the future
To qualify for Formula 1, Dunne arguably has a long way to go. At the moment, a win at the Formula 2 Championship is manageable by continuing at the same standard and hoping that the competition loses motivation. The competition will go on until the 7th of December 2025, when the winner will be announced.
There are ten more races that will take place, the next in Monte Carlo on the 24th of May. It will all end in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi in early December. If all goes well, Dunne already part of the McLaren F1 driver academy, could secure a race contract, probably with one of the more junior F1 teams and who knows where he could go from there.
Ireland and Formula 1 have a modest relationship, as there hasn’t been an Irish driver to compete in the last two decades. All the pressure on Dunne is tangibly undeniable, but the young driver must learn to succeed with this burden. At the age of 19, Dunne has already surpassed what was expected of him and gives us a glimmer of hope for the future.
His Formula 2 performance aside, Dunne is stacking up points to obtain a Super License and now needs to focus on placing in upcoming races and eventually joining an F1 team.
All in all, Dunne’s trajectory is a promising one. So far, his career has gone from strength to strength, and there is no reason why the talented driver can’t be the next Irish hopeful in Formula 1.
