Alex Dunn: Irish underdog of champion aiming for F1

“Ever since I was a kid, my goal has always been Formula 1. Now I’m one step closer to it.”

Every young up-and-coming driver dreams of competing in F1, but only a handful achieve that dream.

But the Irish teenager believes he can reach the pinnacle of motorsport if he shows what he’s capable of.

Alex Dunn has only been racing cars for two years, but he has made a big impression.

He surprised everyone by winning the British F4 Championship in 2022 and almost won the GB3 Championship as a rookie the following year.

Despite these stellar performances, it looked as if he had to watch as players who weren’t performing at the same level climbed the ladder to the F1 package.

Then, one of the most prestigious street races in the world, the Macau Grand Prix, was held. Dan, racing an F3 car for the first time, finished the qualifying race in second place, having only been called up at the last minute.

Although he crashed and retired from the Macau Grand Prix, he made a spectacular debut in an F3 machine.

With work with his family and sponsors constantly going on behind the scenes, it may not have been the weekend for him to secure a contract in the F1 Support Series, but it left a big impression.

“To be honest, Macau definitely went better than expected,” Dunn said.

“You have to believe in yourself and believe in your abilities, but I had very little experience in F3 or street tracks.

“I told my dad before I got there that I would be very happy if I finished in the top 10, so the fact that I finished second in my first race was a bit of a shock.

“I was able to adapt pretty quickly, so it’s nice to be recognized for that.”

The 18-year-old will compete in Formula 3 with Dutch team MP Motorsport. Formula 3 is the third stage of single-seater motorsport and races run parallel to the giants of Formula 1.

The deal was made late in the offseason and was highlighted by the fact that Dunn was the 28th of 30 drivers announced for this season.

“It’s my first time racing in F1 properly, but it’s special,” Dunn said.

“It would be a bit strange to be racing on the same weekend as F1 and not sit at home and watch it on TV.

“I’m excited to get going and really happy to have the opportunity to race in F3.

“A lot of work went into it and the deal came at the last minute, so when my dad told me it was going to happen I was over the moon.

“Being able to race on the same weekend as F1 is a dream come true.”

The last F1 driver from the island of Ireland was Eddie Irvine in 2002. The closest driver since then was Adam Carroll, a few years after Irvine’s last F1 race.

Unlike the majority of the grid, Offaly’s drivers are not signed or affiliated with an F1 team’s academy, but Dan is aware that he can catch the eye of an F1 team while racing in a support series. I want it.

“I’m racing the best junior drivers in the world,” Dunn added.

“During the Grand Prix weekend you’ll be competing against all the big teams and the F1 teams will also be watching the races.

“I think when we first started doing this properly, we always had the attitude of racing the best teams and the best teams.”

For a driver who has a habit of making the most of the opportunities that come his way, Dunn could be a dark horse against the best junior drivers in the world.

But this young man is willing to defy all expectations.

“I can’t say I have any specific goals other than to do as well as possible. I think the test in Bahrain was very positive. My pace was almost in the top five most of the time. Ta.”

“This is my rookie year so it’s going to be a pretty tough battle. There are a lot of very talented second-year drivers in the championship, but be realistic and do what you know you can do. “I don’t know why we won.”I’m not going to be in the lead.

“It doesn’t make sense to get a win one weekend and then have two DNFs. If we stay consistent and try to make the most of what we can, hopefully we’ll just get sharper.” You should get to the end.”