Alex Dunne is looking to end his 2024 campaign on a high at the Macau Grand Prix this weekend.
The Irishman has endured a disappointing debut season in Formula 3 this year with MP Motorsport as he finished down in 14th in the standings with 50 points.
Dunne, who is part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme, grabbed two Sprint Race podiums across the season, finishing second at Catalunya and third at Monza.
But the 18-year-old had an inconsistent year, as he had two streaks of five races without points, ultimately leaving over 100 points behind the champion Leonardo Fornaroli.
This weekend, Dunne is hoping to redeem himself in Macau after a ‘tricky’ debut season in F3 and, according to Stephen Lickorish on the Autosport F1 & Motorsport Podcast, wants to ‘remind people of just how good he is.”
Alex Dunne is hoping to remind people of his ‘supreme talent’ at the Macau Grand Prix
The 2024 Macau Grand Prix will be the 71st running of the event and the first to be run with Formula Regional machinery due to the increase in speed in the F3 cars.
Dunne will be competing with SJM Theodore PREMA Racing alongside Dino Beganovic who has been promoted to Formula 2 by DAMS for the remainder of the season, and Freddie Slater, who comes off the back of a dominant year in Italian F4.
Slater and Dunne are entering the event for the second time, with the former finishing ninth in the F4 race last year while the latter crashed out on the opening lap.
Lickorish says the two are entering the race looking to make a ‘statement’, with Dunne in particular hoping to remind people of his ‘supreme talent.’
“Slater comes in full of confidence after another brilliant season in Italian F4,” he said. “Dunne continued in FIA F3 this season after his Macau debut and had a really tricky year with MP Motorsport, only managed to get a couple of Sprint Race podiums and ended up down in 14th in the standings.
“So, both of them are heading into the event, for very different reasons, looking at it as a real chance to make a bit of a statement. Slater wants redemption from the win he missed out on last year, his words by the way, that’s the way he described it as.
“He wants to get that win and equally Dunne wants to remind people of just how good he is. He dominated British F4 in 2022 and was second in the Italian series that same year, so we know both of them are supremely talented.”
Alex Dunne is hopeful of a move to Formula 2 next season
As the 2025 season approaches, Dunne has made it clear that he wants to compete in Formula 2 next season but has also stated that he would be happy to stay in F3 for another year and target a more consistent season.
Dunne’s backing from McLaren may help him in his bid to reach F2, but it is currently unclear whether he will make the step up.
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His F3 team MP Motorsport recently confirmed that Richard Verschoor has joined the team for 2025 after Dennis Hauger announced his move to Indy NXT next season.
Oliver Goethe is currently in the second seat after he was called up from F3 to replace Franco Colapinto for the remainder of the season. It is not known whether either of these drivers will partner Verschoor in 2025.
There could potentially be an opening at MP next season, but after a difficult debut season in F3, it may be wise to have a second campaign in the series to sharper his skills further before making the step to F2.