Alex Dunne has already made history for his country. As Ireland’s first Formula 2 race winner and highest-placed driver on the junior single-seater ladder, he is the nation’s greatest hope for a return to Formula 1. The Feeder Series Podcast spoke to the Alpine Academy driver about what it would mean to make that step up and his relationship with the Irish fans.

By Cliona Sheerin

When Alex Dunne took his first F2 win in the 2025 Bahrain feature race, it was the first time the Irish national anthem had been played on a grand prix weekend in nearly 27 years. That had been for the winning constructor as Heinz-Harald Frentzen took his Jordan to the top step of the podium in the 1999 Italian Grand Prix. 

Even back then, the playing of ‘Amhrán na bhFiann’ was not a regular occurrence. It was only the second time in history that the Irish anthem had been played after an F1 race despite it being Jordan’s third victory. After the team’s win in the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix, the race organisers didn’t have the anthem available to be played. The issue was rectified by the Jordan team’s press officer, who obtained a CD recording of the song played by the Artane Boys Band – an Irish marching band who regularly play the anthem at major sporting events across the country – to be used for future victories.  

Jordan Grand Prix was a mainstay of the F1 grid from the 1991 season until the team was sold in 2005, eventually becoming what is today the Aston Martin F1 team. In 2003, the Irish team had an Irish driver in their line-up in Ralph Firman, but his participation in the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix turned out to be the last appearance made by an Irish driver in an F1 race. 

All of this happened years before Dunne was even born. However, the 20-year-old is well aware of what it could mean for his country if he were to move up to F1 in the near future. Does the Alpine Academy driver feel any added pressure as a result?

“Not necessarily,” Dunne told the Feeder Series Podcast. “I know that there’s a possibility of being the first Irish F1 driver in a very, very long time. So I think if I could make that happen and make a lot of Irish fans happy, that would be amazing. But I don’t necessarily see it as added pressure because the pressure to make it to F1 is always there, so in that sense, it doesn’t necessarily change.”

What has changed over the years is Dunne’s newfound celebrity-like status in racing settings at home. That was evident when he was a special guest at the Historic Festival at Mondello Park – a track in his home country – last month. 

“I wasn’t really able to walk around for longer than two minutes without getting swarmed by a group of people! But I don’t necessarily get that feeling anywhere else. I’m not famous or anything. In general, day to day life, I can always go unbothered, let’s say. That feeling where you can’t really walk, I’m sure that’s what Formula 1 drivers experience quite often,” he said.

“I think if I was to experience it, I’d want it to be at home with Irish people because I think for me that’s quite cool. So I think because that’s new to me, it still seems pretty cool and it feels nice to see how much support I have at home and I think through the years how it’s changed.

“When I was in F4 and GB3 and I went to that event and I was there and I drove some different cars, a couple of people came up to me and asked for a picture, but that’s kind of how it always was when I was younger, whereas now, it’s a lot different. To see how it’s changed in the last two, three years and how the support has changed and ramped up … is really nice,” Dunne continued. 

The Rodin Motorsport driver is not the only Irishman making a name for himself in the junior categories. Last year’s British F4 champion, Fionn McLaughlin, has made the leap to F3 with the backing of the Red Bull Junior Team, while GB4 sophomore Alex O’Grady sits second in the standings with one win and two podiums. They will be looking to emulate their compatriot and continue up the racing ladder in the coming years.

“For the first time in a while, I’m not the only one there now,” Dunne explained. “There are more Irish people coming up through the ranks as well. The pressure is always there, but if I could manage to achieve it and have an Irish flag in F1 that would be pretty special.”

A strong F2 campaign this year could put Dunne in pole position to do just that. Despite a difficult start to the season, he currently sits seventh in the standings with a 50 per cent podium rate after three rounds of the championship. He will be looking to keep that record up heading into the next races in Monaco in a few days’ time. 

To hear more from Dunne on his career so far and his start to the season, check out the latest episode of the Feeder Series Podcast, available now on all major podcast platforms.

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency