Alex Dunne could not replicate his success in other junior categories in his rookie year in Formula 3 this season.
The Irishman moved up to Formula 3 with MP Motorsport in 2024 and joined the McLaren Driver Development Programme back in May.
Dunne has displayed some impressive performances in his junior career, winning the F4 British Championship in 2022 in dominant fashion, claiming 11 wins, 11 pole positions and 17 podiums in 27 races, missing the final three races at Brands Hatch.
That same year, Dunne finished second in the Italian F4 Championship and in 2023, he finished runner-up in the GB3 Championship by 18 points to Callum Voisin.
Moving onto the F1 support ladder for 2024, the 18-year-old was hoping to continue the momentum, but it did not turn out the way he may have hoped.
Alex Dunne was disappointed to not win the Feature Race at Monza
Dunne conceded that it was a ‘difficult’ debut season in F3 as he finished down in 14th with 50 points.
The Irishman scored points at nine of the 20 races in 2024, including two podiums at Catalunya and Monza.
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Dunne had fallen onto hard times at certain points throughout the season that cost him dearly, including a disqualification from qualifying in Imola, a red flag in qualifying in Monaco that cost him a position at the front and a miserable weekend at Silverstone that saw him finish 22nd in the Sprint Race and retiring in the Feature Race.
Despite his struggles, the 18-year-old did end the season strongly at Monza, finishing third in the Sprint Race and fourth in the Feature Race. But speaking with the F3 website, Dunne fumed over the fact that he could not secure the win on Sunday having started on the front row of the grid.
“Ultimately, it was by far my best weekend of the year, everything went smoothly, and I didn’t get impeded, I didn’t make a mistake on my lap, and everything was put together, and we put it on the front row. So that was nice,” he said.
“But coming out of the Feature Race, I was still disappointed. I was starting on the front row so I wanted to win, a podium at least would have been really nice.
“As a team though, we just missed a little bit of pace in that Feature Race in the beginning. I tried quite hard to keep the lead, and I had nothing to lose in the Championship so there was no point in dropping back and maybe finishing third at best.
“I was happy with how I raced, I think I had the lead for the first half of the race and had some good battles with the front guys, so overall as a whole, it was good to get a proper opportunity from start to finish.”
Alex Dunne is targeting a move to Formula 2 for the 2025 season
As the 2025 season approaches, Dunne has expressed his desire to make the step up to Formula 2 next year.
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At the time of writing, only the 2024 F3 champion Leonardo Fornaroli and Arvid Lindblad have been confirmed in F2 next year, driving with Invicta Racing and Campos Racing respectively.
With Dunne finishing 14th in F3 this year, it is likely that more experienced and successful options will be considered ahead of the Irishman for an F2 seat next season.
The McLaren junior has said that he is happy to stay in F3 for another season in F2 is not possible for 2025 as he targets a more consistent season.