Rodin Motorsport’s rising star Alex Dunne was disqualified from the race after his hard-fought podium finish in Sunday’s Formula 2 Feature Race at Spielberg. The decision came after a post-race check by the FIA that revealed the excessive wear on the car’s front plank.
Dunne returned to finish in second position after starting seventh on the grid. He was brilliant throughout the race, finishing just behind the winner Richard Verschoor; however, his second-place finish was disqualified after the race stewards found Rodin guilty of breaching Article 3.2.2 of the FIA Formula 2 Technical Regulations.
After the checkered flag on June 29, Dunne’s Rodin 17 was inspected by the FIA’s technical team, who flagged the car’s front plank’s thickness a few mm below the mandatory minimum. The thickness was just 3.37 mm, lower than the mandatory minimum of 4 mm, with only a 0.2 mm tolerance above the peripheral hole measurement of 3.27 mm.
Rodin’s team tried defending the case, but it failed as the stewards were not satisfied with any explanation for the irregularity, thus confirming their disqualification judgment. After the judgement, the drivers who finished behind Dunne were promoted one place, with Leonardo Fornaroli getting second position, and Jak Crawford getting the final podium position.
The news of Dunne’s disqualification after the race came as a shock to fans after a remarkable weekend from the racer. Dunne’s fans soon took to social media to express their encouragement to the young driver for the upcoming race in Silverstone.
Meanwhile in the race, we witnessed some intense wheel-to-wheel action in the opening laps. Verschoor took the lead in the 15th lap of the race after starting from the third position on the grid, overtaking Victory Martins. Dunne performed terrifically, moving to the second position after finishing seventh during qualifying.
The Irish driver overtook Fornaroli on lap 10 after an intense fight between the two. The fight just behind Dunne and Fornaroli was equally exciting, including contact between Pepe Marti and Arvid Lindblad, which resulted in Marti getting a penalty. The standout performer of the race was Crawford, who recovered from a 14th-place grid start to finish third following the disqualification.
However, even after the disqualification, Dunne still had one of the best weekends of his life so far. The spotlight was on the 19-year-old youngster who had the opportunity to drive for McLaren in Free Practice 1, marking his debut in Formula 1. The young prodigy impressed fans worldwide by scoring the fourth-quickest lap in FP1, just 0.069 seconds behind his teammate Oscar Piastri.
After the race, Dunne described the experience as “something pretty special” and “definitely the best day of my life”. However, Spielberg could have been a much sweeter memory for the young racer if he kept his second-place finish in the feature race.
Many in the Formula 1 circuit are now expecting Dunne to be ready to be promoted to the top stage of the racing world. His performance as a McLaren Driver Development Programme driver and a reserve driver of the Formula E team undoubtedly caught the eyes of many worldwide.
His outstanding pace during the F2 weekend included overtakes through the field, marking another showcase of the 19‑year‑old’s readiness to step up. As a member of the Driver Development Programme and reserve driver for McLaren’s Formula E team, questions about his future in Formula 1 are intensifying.
After the disqualification of Dunne, the final results and championship table had a major reshuffle, and the battle for the Formula 2 2025 title has taken a sudden turn. Verschoor now holds a significant lead in the standings, and sportsbooks have already started to react to this lead.
The title betting market has shifted significantly towards the Dutch racer, with bookmakers adjusting their early-season odds. The odds for the F2 champion market have swung dramatically in many of Canada’s best betting sites. Verschoor is now one of the favourites, with Dunne, Crawford, and Fornaroli trailing.
The current Formula 2 top five standings after the Austria race:
- Richard Verschoor (MP Motorsport) – 114 Points
- Alex Dunne (Rodin Motorsport) – 90 Points
- Jack Crawford (DAMS Lucas Oil) – 88 Points
- Leonardo Fornaroli (Invicta Racing) – 86 Points
- Luke Browning (Hitech TGR) – 83 Points.
With the season still unfolding, all eyes will be on Silverstone to see if Dunne can come back from disqualification and further make a statement.
