Irish teen Dunne steps up to Formula 2 with Rodin

In 2025, Ireland’s Alex Dunne will compete in Formula 2 to fulfill his ambition to win the title.

The 19-year-old will drive for Rodin Motorsport in Formula 2, which is the category below Formula 1 and races alongside motorsport’s premier series.

McLaren, who won the Formula 1 constructors’ title in 2024, hired Dunne as a Development Driver in May after an impressive climb up the motorsport ladder.

In his first season of Formula 3, Dunne won two podiums while driving for MP Motorsport.

“I’m looking forward to the upcoming season and thankful for everyone’s support in getting me to this stage – I can’t wait to hit the ground running”, Dunne said.

In December, he took the third-fastest lap of the final day of the Yas Marina circuit and rode for Rodin in Abu Dhabi.

His team-mate at Rodin will be Australia’s Christian Mansell, who had a best finish of fifth in Formula 3.

“Alex’s talent, dedication, and passion for racing align perfectly with our team’s values and ambitions”, said Rodin’s motorsport sporting director and team manager Benn Huntingford.

Lando Norris’ McLaren Grand Prix champion Lando Dunne previously won the 2022 British F4 Championship, and he finished second in the GB3 Championship before switching to Formula 3 this year.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who will take Lewis Hamilton’s place in the Mercedes’ Formula 1 team in 2025, finished second in the Italian F4 championship in 2022.

Dunne wants to become the first Irishman to compete in Formula 1 since Eddie Irvine, a four-time Grand Prix winner, who last competed for Jaguar in 2002.

Adam Carroll, from Portadown, was the last driver to race in Formula 2 in 2005 and 2006, a period in which he was test driver for BAR Honda’s Formula 1 team.

Dunne will drive for McLaren’s Formula E team in its rookie practice in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on February 13th in addition to his commitments to Formula 2.

Ritomo Miyata and Zane Maloney, who finished fourth in the drivers’ championship with two victories and seven podiums, were Rodin’s teams’ standings in the 2024 Formula 2 season.