The early days - Alex Dunne’s karting career

Dunne grew up in Offaly, a small county of Ireland that he described as “pretty much in the middle of nowhere,” in a Formula 3 profile, but that nonetheless has a robust sporting community. Inspired by his father, Noel Dunne, who was also a race car driver, the young Irishman cut his teeth on the Athboy Karting Centre, “a small and tight circuit” just a half-hour’s drive from his house. 

From his first season as a karter, in 2014, Dunne showed exceptional skill, lining up race wins as a rookie in the Irish Karting Championship. Just one year later, he jumped into international competitions, as he took to the 2015 British Karting Championship. This was just a preview of the rapid upward trajectory that his karting career would take, as the next five years saw him dominate in both European and international karting competitions of various classes, firmly cementing him as one of the best Irish karters of his time.

In the big leagues - Dunne’s move to racing

After seven years of karting, at just 15 years old, Dunne made the massive leap into full-fledged racing, debuting in the 2021 Spanish Formula 4 Championship with Pinnacle Motorsport. That same year he also competed with US Racing, a team co-founded by Ralf Schumacher in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship. 

Yet it wasn’t until 2022 that Dunne fully stretched his wings in F24, claiming his first racing title ever in the British Formula 4 Championship with Hitech Grand Prix. On the win, Dunne said, “It’s been a really incredible year this year with Hitech GP, breaking the record for most wins in a single season.”

Indeed, he acquired 11 wins, and 17 total podiums in the Championship, setting the foundations for an excellent junior career. He built on this by coming in second overall in the 2022 Italian F4 Championship with US Racing that same year (right behind racing prodigy and current F1 Mercedes driver, Kimi Antonelli), before jumping into GB3—formerly British Formula 3—where he likewise finished second overall with Hitech GP.

It was a string of incredible performances at such an early stage in his career that not only opened the door for him into the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2024, but also caught the eye of none other than McLaren Racing, who offered Dunne to join their Driver Development Programme in 2024.

Dunne at the McLaren Development Programme

Officially established in 2023, the McLaren Driver Development Program is intended to provide guidance and opportunities to exceptional racing talent and serve as a pipeline toward both McLaren's F1 and IndyCar teams (for a closer look at what being in a junior driver program, check out our Insider episode with Dino Beganovic). On joining the Programme, Dunne himself said, “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.”

One such growing opportunity came in the form of Formula E, as Dunne took on the role of reserve and development driver for the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team in the 2024/2025 season. His debut in the series came in the form of the new “Free Practice 0”–intended specifically for rookies and drivers without a start recorded in Formula E–at the 2025 Jeddah E-Prix in Saudi Arabia. 

“Having a first feeling of the car, it means the feedback that I give the team on the sim can be a little bit more detailed because I have a better understanding of the car,” said Dunne on the experience, showing the care with which he takes into moments like this to improve for not only himself but for his team as well. 

This attitude, along with his racing performances in 2024, is likely part of what paved the way to two more massive opportunities for him in 2025. Backed by McLaren, he made the step up into Formula 2 with Rodin Motorsport, and was officially announced as a test driver for the McLaren F1 Team.

This led to his first two outings in an F1 car, during driver development tests held in the Netherlands and Austin, Texas in the spring of 2025, in which he drove the McLaren 2023 contender, the MCL60. He got his taste of the current season shortly after, with an appearance for McLaren in FP1 of the Austrian Grand Prix, where he finished an impressive fourth overall on the timing tower, and again later in the season at the Italian Grand Prix.

Yet despite the successes he had, in the fall of 2025, with just two F2 races to go, it was announced that Dunne would be parting ways with the McLaren Driver Development Programme effective immediately. No specific reason was given for the sudden departure, however Dunne’s statement cited that it was “mutually decided,” suggesting that the young driver might have something in store for himself in partnership with other teams.

Alex Dunne’s future in F1

Dunne commented on his future in F1 in a fall 2025 interview with Kieran Jackson of the Independent, saying, “Jumping into F2 as a rookie, I know that if I go really well this year, there is a relatively high possibility of being in F1. But the thing is, that applies to a lot of other drivers on the grid too.”

Yet the potential to see Dunne in F1 sometime soon seems high, particularly as he has shown an aptitude for the cars during the handful of chances he had to drive them.

Speaking after his test run of the MCL60 in the Netherlands, Dunne commented on the jump that is to be expected when one goes from feeder series cars, like those in F2, to the pinnacle of motorsports. 

“I expected it to take a little longer to build into the test,” he said, “But, straight away, I felt quite comfortable in the car… It felt pretty natural, and I felt at ease in the car, which made the rest of the day very comfortable. 

“I thought that level of comfort would take much longer because of how big the jump is, but straight away, I was already quite close to where I wanted to be. The car inspires confidence because it has so much grip, so it was easier to trust than I expected.”

This knack for the cars has caught the attention of several F1 teams and, most notably, Dr. Helmut Marko of the Red Bull junior program, who has described Dunne as, “a very fast, aggressive, young driver. He's a good fit for Red Bull.”

Marko confirmed the organization’s interest in an interview with Sky Deutschland during the F1 Singapore Grand Prix weekend, saying, “Now that he's available, he's someone we'll definitely be talking to.”

What remains unclear is whether Dunne might get his F1 chance in 2026 or later. 

Does Alex Dunne have any other talents?

Racing is not the only thing Dunne is proficient at. In an interview for Formula 3 from last year, when asked where he would take someone to eat in his hometown of Offaly, he said his own house. Why? Because he is quite a decent cook.

“What would I cook?” Dunne said, “I’m going to put myself on the spot and say it’ll be a five-star experience, two course meal.”