Alex Dunne embarked on his debut season in Formula 3 in 2024 as he looks to climb up the motorsport ladder.
The Irishman graduated to Formula 3 after finishing second in the GB3 Championship, winning five races as he finished 18 points behind the champion Callum Voisin, who also moved up to F3 this season.
In 2022, Dunne enjoyed a brilliant year in Formula 4, finishing second in the Italian campaign and dominated the F4 British Championship as he won 11 races and grabbed 11 pole positions and 17 podiums to win the title.
Unfortunately, his debut season in F3 was not as successful. While Dunne scored podiums at Catalunya and Monza, several mishaps and incidents cost him as the 18-year-old finished down in 14th.
But speaking with BBC Sport, Dunne explained how he is being supported by his new-found backing.
Alex Dunne shares the ‘nice thing’ about having McLaren with him in Formula 3
In May of this year, Dunne was signed to the McLaren Driver Development Programme alongside fellow F3 driver Martinius Stenshorne.
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The Woking-based team have a great record of producing top talent in motorsport, most notably seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton and current McLaren driver Lando Norris.
McLaren currently boasts a strong driver academy, with the likes of IndyCar star Pato O’Ward and defending WEC champion Ryo Hirakawa on the books.
And after what has been a ‘difficult’ debut F3 season for Dunne, the Irishman shared how the team have ‘helped a lot.’
“The nice thing about having people from McLaren with me on race weekends is if something out of my control happens and the result isn’t as it should be, then they are there to see what happened wasn’t in my control,” he said.
“It’s not like it’s me making a mistake or not doing a good enough job. They are there to have a look through the data, so having people there is nice. It’s reassuring and they do help a lot.
“Being around them is cool, and having McLaren as well. To see how professional everything is in a Formula 1 team is quite cool.”
How likely is a move to Formula 2 next year for Alex Dunne?
With backing from McLaren, Dunne is eyeing a move to Formula 2 for the 2025 season as he hopes to move up the motorsport pyramid.
While there are multiple seats yet to be confirmed, it is likely that most teams will already have several options lined up ahead of Dunne for next season.
Dunne’s current team MP Motorsport have Dennis Hauger on their books, while Oliver Goethe made the step up to F2 from F3 in place of Franco Colapinto after he was drafted in at Williams in F1. While Hauger and Goethe could well retain their seats, there is every chance that Colapinto could return to F2 next season.
Dunne is happy to stay in F3 for another year as he targets a much more consistent season in 2025, having managed only nine points finishes this campaign.