Alex Dunne on the harrowing abuse he faced following Monaco GP crash
Irish racing driver Alex Dunne revealed the extent of the harrowing abuse he faced after his crash caused multiple DNFs in Monaco in the last race weekend.
Speaking to The Race, the Offaly teenager accepted the blame for the crash in Monte Carlo which left him with multiple grid penalties for the Barcelona sprint and feature races last weekend.
He said: 'I don't think there's any point in me commenting on Monaco really, what happened, happened.
'But I think moving forward, it's clear in these scenarios, maybe sometimes you just need to rein it back a bit.
'Everyone knows Monaco Turn 1, if you come out in the lead, the chance of you finishing there is pretty high.
'Everyone around me is still pushing me on, McLaren and the team are still fully behind me and happy with how I'm doing. So yeah, couple of things to change but should be fine.'
He was then asked whether his comeback drive from P19 to 2nd had silenced his critics.
He didn't know, as the abuse he received after the events of the Monaco feature race forced him to delete social media from his phone.
'I got a lot of stuff after Monaco, normally I'm not someone who reads things and gets annoyed by them," he said.
'But, I think an hour after the race, I deleted social media off my phone because I've ever received such bad messages in my life.
'A lot of the stuff I got was really, really bad and quite upsetting to be honest. But you know, I think...'
His answer trailed off after this as he became visibly emotional before the interview moved onto other topics.
McLaren F1 team principal Andrea Stella - who takes charge of the McLaren Driver Development Programme, of which the 19-year-old is a member - told The Race 'Alex is doing very well, he's a very fast driver, very talented, and the situation he had in Monaco was one of those situations where you can learn a lot.
'If we think, multiple world champions they went through situations that were very important to finetune the way they go racing.
'The way he raced today, the way he managed to overtake cars in a very clean way in the first lap, stay calm and see how the situation would have evolved, and capitalise when the opportunity came, was an immediate response to the situation he had in Monaco, and the pressure that came from these social media comments, for me that's something that makes me very proud of him.
'I think it was genuine. I think we need to realise that we live in a difficult world in which people can attack people really with no foundation, sometimes no competence, so we're completely behind Alex, not only on track but also off-track from this point of view."
While it would be great to get an Irish driver on the F1 grid, it may be a ways away yet, with a McLaren promotion unlikely until at least 2027 when Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris's contracts run out.
If the opportunity arises, though, it may be difficult to look past the Offaly man, with his performances in the F2 championship, specifically his ability to bounce back from his Monaco blip, beginning to turn heads in the sport.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Extra.ie
22 minutes ago
- Extra.ie
Top Irish University to cut future ties with Israeli institutions
Trinity College Dublin is to divest from new arrangements with Israeli universities, firms and institutions. The board of the prestigious Dublin University, home to over 20,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students, made the decision to divest from Israeli links yesterday. Pro-Palestinian activists have called on other Irish universities to follow suit. Last May, students formed an encampment at Trinity in protest against a € 214,285 fine imposed on the students' union after a series of demonstrations regarding fees and rent, as well as the university's ties to Israel. Pic: AFP via Getty Images Following engagement with the protesters, the college dropped the fine and said it would complete a divestment from Israeli companies that have activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and appear on the UN blacklist. The students dismantled the camp after Trinity said it would 'endeavour' to divest in other Israeli companies, noting that its supplier list contains just one Israeli company, which remained in place until March this year for contractual reasons. Yesterday, Trinity's board received a report from a task force set up last October to examine academic and institutional links, including with Israel. Trinity College, a top university in Dublin City. Pic: Shutterstock Although the report is to return to the board later this year for its final consideration, based on 'the strength of the evidence shared', the board accepted the report's recommendations. This included recommendations that the college enter into no Erasmus, collaborative research or supply agreements with Israeli universities, institutions or firms. Meanwhile, aid sites in the Gaza Strip were temporarily closed yesterday, with Israel's army warning roads leading to distribution centres were 'considered combat zones'. Pic: Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images The announcement by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation follows a string of deadly incidents near its aid sites centres, including one Tuesday, in which 27 people were killed when Israeli troops opened fire near a GHF site. Yesterday, the UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said: 'Yesterday alone, dozens were declared dead at hospitals after Israeli forces said they had opened fire. 'This is the outcome of a series of deliberate choices that have systematically deprived two million people of the essentials they need to survive.' He echoed the call by UN chief Antonio Guterres for immediate independent investigations, saying they were not isolated incidents, and the perpetrators must be held accountable. 'No-one should have to risk their life to feed their children,' said Fletcher.
Extra.ie
an hour ago
- Extra.ie
Three rookies primed for a huge summer tour with Ireland
Three exciting rookies are set to make their mark as Ireland gears up for a massive summer tour filled with promise and opportunity. All eyes will be on the fresh faces as they look to impress and stake a claim for a long-term place in the Irish squad this summer. Here are the three rising stars who could shape Ireland's future, adding new depth and energy to the squad: Paddy McCarthy Paddy McCarthy. Pic: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile Younger brother of Leinster, Ireland and soon-to-be Lions lock Joe McCarthy, the powerful loosehead prop has the same physical profile and mean edge to thrive at the top level. Along with Sam Prendergast, Brian Gleeson and Gus McCarthy, he was a standout performer on an Ireland U20 side which reached a Junior World Cup final in 2023. The 21-year-old has suffered his fair share of injury setbacks of late, which has hindered him to just six senior appearances for Leinster thus far. McCarthy remains a raw prospect and he has endured a few tough outings at scrum time on the AIL beat with Trinity. But the Leinster frontrower is highly-rated and it's clear the Irish management see him as a player who could move through the ranks quickly in the coming years. Ben Murphy Ben Murphy. Pic: Thomas Flinkow/Sportsfile Connacht had a tough season but Ben Murphy had a consistently excellent campaign in a struggling team. Murphy came through the ranks with his home province Leinster but decided to seek pastures new with Connacht at the beginning of this season. Seeing the likes of Jamison Gibson-Park, Luke McGrath and rookie Fintan Gunne ahead of him in the pecking order, he set forth for Galway with the hope of getting more top-level exposure. And despite the presence of Caolin Blade and Matthew Devine, Murphy quickly become a first-choice option out West. The 24-year-old played 17 games for this adopted province this term. A lively player with an eye for a break, Murphy will be one to watch on tour. Hugh Gavin Hugh Gavin. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile Bundee Aki 2.0. The promising 21-year-old midfielder is cut from the same mould as the Ireland stalwart and Clan Terrace favourite. Gavin offers the same gainline-breaking power as Aki. Gavin was ever-present for the Ireland U20s during their prolific 2023 and 2024 campaigns. He operated on the wing and centre during his time with Richie Murphy's side, demonstrating his versatility. A native of Galway, Gavin is stepped in the history of the province and is one of the club's biggest prospects. He has already been part of Emerging Ireland tours and been around senior training camps. Now, he is set for the next step.
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Almost four out of 10 Irish earners are paying no income tax, says Revenue
While the number of taxpayer units earning enough to be liable for the standard rate will be just over 2.2 million, an estimated 1.06 million of these, or 30pc, will not pay anything because their liability is fully covered by their tax credits. Another 256,600 taxpayer units, or 7pc of the total, are exempt from income tax. The statistics, contained in an answer by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe to a Dáil question, means 37pc of earners will pay no income tax this year. In an annual report on the Irish economy, published yesterday, the European Commission emphasised the need to reduce the risks created by the high concentration of tax revenue among a relatively small number of payers. Ireland should broaden its tax base, given the reliance on relatively few foreign-owned multinationals, and there is particular scope for expanding the local property charge, the commission says. 'Ireland's labour-tax system is highly progressive, but it relies on a narrow tax base,' according to the report, which says the top 10pc of taxpayers accounted for approximately 60pc of the tax yield in 2022. This concentration of revenue means the tax base is vulnerable to economic shifts. Ireland's labour-tax revenues are well below the EU average, and 'to cope with high projected budget expenses, diversification in Ireland's public revenue structure is warranted', the report says. Ireland's share of labour taxes as a proportion of GDP is not even half the EU average, and remains below the EU average when adjusted to GNI*, a measure of economic activity that takes out the distorting effect of multinationals. There is also scope to expand the local property charge, since the revenue collected – which was 1.8pc of GNI* in 2022 – is also below the EU average, which was 2.1pc that year. On the spending side, the European Commission calls on Ireland to 'reinforce' defence spending in line with decisions reached by the European Council in March. The report points out that spending on defence in Ireland remained stable at 0.2pc of GDP between 2021 and 2023. According to its forecast, it will remain at this level for both last year and this year. This means there has been no change in four years. As the healthcare system is overly reliant on costly hospital care, exacerbated by the lack of universal primary care coverage, there is scope for reform to alleviate the strain on hospitals The commission says there are still concerns about the impact that spending by the healthcare system is having on fiscal sustainability. The ageing of the population is going to mean an increase in health spending of 1.5pc of GDP by 2070, while across the EU the average increase is projected to be 0.4pc. 'As the healthcare system is overly reliant on costly hospital care, exacerbated by the lack of universal primary care coverage, there is scope for reform to alleviate the strain on hospitals,' the report says. Given the heightened political uncertainty, Ireland's dependence on foreign multinationals needs to be looked at, and the European Commission warns there is an 'urgent need' to build a more resilient, innovation-driven domestic economy. It points out that spending on research and development (R&D) in Ireland is at one of the lowest rates in the EU, accounting for just 0.4pc of GNI*. This has led to a noticeable technology innovation gap between Irish SMEs and their counterparts in comparable European countries. 'Boosting R&D expenditure and providing targeted Research and Innovation (R&I) support could help boost SME productivity,' it says.
