Alex Dunne exclusively talked with FFN at the Berlin E-Prix about his F2 performance and what it was like to debut in F1.
The F2 rookie has had a phenomenal season so far. With just three years of experience in the single-seater series, he managed to stay in the upper quarter of the drivers’ standings. His Championship lead was recently taken by Dutch driver Richard Verschoor.
His thoughts on FP1 in MCL39 at the Austrian GP
Dunne made his F1 debut at the Austrian GP during Practice 1. He had been the fastest in the F2 Practice session previously. In Lando Norris’s car, he had experienced issues at the start, but then outpaced many of the F1 drivers. By the end of the Practice session, he had finished fourth fastest on the grid.
“It was pretty cool. Yeah, definitely, probably somewhat unexpected. I think the tests I’d done had been really well and had been really good and gone really well.
“And the pace was really, really strong for my first couple of times of being in the F1 car. But I think still even at that, I probably didn’t expect FP1 to go that well.”
The Irishman had expressed his joy via radio after the race, as this was a life experience he would never forget.
Speaking with FFN, he admitted that he was proud to fulfill expectations by performing on track. Especially because he had responsibilities, to return safely, making sure the transition to Norris’s upcoming session would go well.
“I think for me, the biggest thing I was happy about was, you know, they gave me a pretty intense run programme and there was a lot of stuff to run through with the car and make sure that they had the correct data collected.
“And then also that it was all just well and smooth for Lando [Norris] to jump back in FP2. And I think for me, that was the biggest thing, that I just wanted to make sure it went smoothly.“, he said.
“And then of course, the end then, to have a strong performance was nice as well.”
Support of McLaren
As Dunne has been part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme, McLaren has helped him and his family tremendously throughout the years.
“Yeah, I think definitely this year, McLaren have kind of elevated their level of support in me, which has been nice. And I think as a driver, you know, naturally you’re always improving as a driver, but I think the rate that I’ve developed has increased quite significantly this year because of the extra support that they’re giving me. And I think for me, that’s very, very important.”
As of this year, the Irishman is also a Formula E reserve driver for Neom McLaren. He explained to FFN, every step he makes with McLaren, he develops further.
“You know, all the opportunities they’re giving me with FE, you know, obviously being a part of the driver development programme and then having an F1 testing programme and being in FP1s and things like that.
“So they’re doing a really good job at helping me develop, and I feel like every time I’ve left the track doing something with them, I’ve left as a better driver. And that’s always what you want as a rookie and as a young driver.
“So it’s been a good year so far, and hopefully it continues that way.”
F2 Championship battle, his thoughts on the 2025 season so far
Alex Dunne is a top contender for the F2 championship title, as he is the third-best F2 driver at the moment. Just 8 points behind Jak Crawford, and 14 points behind Richard Verschoor. Despite experiencing ups and downs, the Irishman remained content with the results as he developed throughout the campaign.
“I think the big thing is that I would say we’ve had more very good results than we have less good ones. I think we’ve had two feature-race wins, a pole in Monaco, which is not something many people can say.”
He acknowledged there’s still room to grow, that with each race he feels a step closer to Formula 1.
“I would say there’s been things to improve on, but that’s natural as a rookie. There’s always going to be things you can do better.
“Realistically, I think F2 is close to the pinnacle of what you can do as a young driver before you make the step to F1 if you get that opportunity. The drivers are very, very talented.”
He explained that small margins could make a big difference in the driver’s performance. Even minor mistakes could inevitably change the outcome.
“It’s a very difficult series. I think if you put one foot wrong, it could be the difference between first and tenth. There are a lot of things to improve on naturally from the beginning of the season.”
Thoughts on his performance
Alex Dunne left the tracks with astonishing results within the F2 campaign. Talking to FFN, he shared his thoughts on his performance. He acknowledged he had made mistakes, but he learnt from them — He made sure he was eager to improve.
“I think we’ve made some very good steps, and we’re in a very good position now. I think the consistency has started to build pretty strongly. Of course, we got disqualified in Austria, but I think generally the result of the weekend is still very consistent.
“I’m enjoying it, to be honest. I think my performances have been very good so far. Of course, like I said, there have been things I can improve on, but once I’ve improved on them, they haven’t happened again, and that’s the most important thing.”
It hasn’t been a bad year for Alex Dunne in the F2 championship. With just six race weekends left, the championship comes to an end, and the title fight grows more intense. He told FFN that his biggest takeaway would be that winning every race isn’t a mindset one should have. He emphasized that patience is the key to better results.
“I think the thing I’ve not necessarily focused on but just kept in my frame of mind is that you don’t need to win every race, realistically. I think I’m in a position where winning the championship is very possible.“, according to Dunne.
“I think in some scenarios there’s no point in trying to make something happen and scoring no points, where you’re better off scoring two or three if you can.
“I think just being a bit more patient and thinking about the bigger picture for me has been important. Not that I haven’t done that, but I think in some scenarios I probably could have just waited a little bit more and known that I still would have ended up in a good position. I think for me, I just had to think about that a little bit more. I think we’re working in the right direction.”
Formula E Rookie Test in Berlin
The Formula E race weekend in Berlin was eventful. While Saturday was a very wet race, Sunday was slightly more pleasant. Oliver Rowland was crowned World Champion at Tempelhof Airport, and the sun was shining.
On Monday, the annual Rookie Test took place, including NEOM McLaren’s reserve driver Alex Dunne. While the F2 Championship battle intensifies with each race. Despite not competing in the Formula E series at the moment, he admitted he came with expectations of his own.
“I think as a driver, I probably always have my own expectations. You know, I always want to be fast. I think in some scenarios it’s probably nice to be here as a reserve, you know, kind of experiencing a race weekend from a different side.
“Not necessarily being a driver, just kind of spectating everything and seeing what the drivers do, what they go through, and just kind of looking through everything through the weekend.
I think it’s, of course, every weekend I’m here, I think I’d like to be driving, but it’s kind of nice to see it from a different perspective as a driver, and it’s cool to analyse all the different things.”
“But yeah, it’s Monday, of course, there’s not really going to be any expectations. It’s just to go out, understand the car as quickly as I can. I’m sure the team will have numerous things that they want to look through and test on the car. Because they don’t really get a full day of testing apart from pre-season. So I’m sure there’ll be some things that they want to try as well. And I’ll try to help them out as much as I can with that too.”
The Irish driver had finished the first session 9th fastest and the second 5th fastest. Despite not being the fastest overall, the rookie can be proud of his performance.
Alex Dunne delivers outstandingly on the F2 tracks but also impresses in the Formula E car. Where the Irish talent will be racing next year isn’t carved in stone, but he made it clear that he’s not here to play games.
