logo
Mum & dad met in Mondello, tough time after 11-car crash & straight answers from Lando Norris… Alex Dunne spills all

Mum & dad met in Mondello, tough time after 11-car crash & straight answers from Lando Norris… Alex Dunne spills all

The Irish Sun16-07-2025
ALEX DUNNE was born with petrol in his veins - so pursuing a career in Formula 1 was only natural.
The
4
Rising star...Alex celebrates after victory in Imola
Credit: Getty Images - Getty
4
Family backing...Alex with his dad Noel
Credit: Getty Images - Getty
4
Alex in action during the first free practice session at the F1 Austrian GP
Credit: AP:Associated Press
A successful debut season in Formula 2 - the rung below Formula 1, in which he sits third in the overall championship standings - has also seen him take his first steps in
In
He is also a reserve driver for their team in
Even by the standards that characterise the sport itself, the Irishman's rise has been rapid.
He told SunSport: "Obviously, FP1 was a big moment and a big opportunity for me.
"I said on the radio at the end of it that a little boy's dream had come true that day. I think for me that is something I got to appreciate.
"In terms of being in F2, I'd say yes I appreciate it, but it is also the natural progression of going through the feeder series and it is somewhere that I hoped to be if I did a good job."
Dunne considers his own career development in 2025 a surprise given it came off the back of a 2024 that saw him finish 14th in Formula 3.
He added: "I think the big thing for me was the fact that last year in F3 was very difficult and I didn't really get the opportunity to fully show what I am capable of.
"I think the amount that it has flipped on its head in one year is probably the big thing.
Alex Dunne reunites with faily after Formula 1 debut at Austrian GP
"It has gone from a very difficult year in F3, not really sure what our plans were for the year after, to all of a sudden being in contention in F2 and having an opportunity in F1.
"The saying is you are only as good as your last race. It has proven to be very important at the minute.
"It would be very easy to get wrapped up in the whole idea of F1 and focus on that too much.
"Realistically, I have to stay focused on F2 and the best opportunity I am going to give myself to be an F1 driver is by winning F2."
"Motorsport is one of those things that if you do well you end up making a lot of money but it is a job you would happily do for free."
When you consider his family background, a career in motorsport seems to have been predetermined.
A prodigious talent, he started competitive karting when he was eight and won several Irish titles before progressing to junior formula in 2021.
He won the 2022 F4 British Championship with Hitech while still only 16.
That same year, he finished second in the F4 Italian Championship to Kimi Antonelli, who is now driving for
His dad Noel has been a constant presence in the paddock throughout all of this.
Noel is a former driver himself, as was his own dad Matthew, while Alex's mum Elizabeth also comes from racing stock.
Dunne explained: "I would say the person who pushed me the most was my dad. My dad and my mum were big motorsport people.
"They met in Mondello. My mum worked in Mondello and obviously my dad was a racing car driver so motorsport has always been a big family thing.
"I think when I was a kid, regardless of whether I was interested in motorsport - obviously I was, but I was always around it anyway.
"My mum was involved in it, my dad was a driver, so I think it has always been around me from a young age.
"My dad was always the one who pushed me the most. I don't think I ever needed motivation because I have always enjoyed it.
"Motorsport is one of those things that if you do well you end up making a lot of money but it is a job you would happily do for free."
FAST START
In May 2024, Dunne signed with the McLaren Driver Development Programme and, in February, joined the Rodin Motosport F2 team.
Success followed shortly thereafter.
In March, he finished ninth in the sprint race in
That landmark gave him the outright lead in the F2 Championship, a position he reclaimed with a win in Imola in May.
It was not all plain sailing, however, as his involvement in an 11-car crash in Barcelona led to Alex
It was a stark reminder of the consequence of a burgeoning profile and reputation, but one he is taking in his stride.
4
Race winner Alex Dunne, second place Luke Browning and third place Dino Beganovic celebrate with ice cream during the Round 4 Imola Feature race of the Formula 2 Championship
Credit: Getty Images - Getty
He said: "I don't want to go into it too much, but I knew straight away what people were going to say.
"That's the way with motorsport and social media, unfortunately. I think when you see the stuff online and what people have to say, it is not a surprise.
"It is just unfortunately how some people are and whether or not their opinions are right or wrong, it is irrelevant.
"For me, I try to ignore it all because realistically people who say these things and people who give you their opinions are always people whose opinions probably aren't correct or are not necessarily entitled to one,
"It is important to focus and listen to the people around me and the only opinions that matter are from my family and from Rodin and McLaren and people who are working with me."
"Every time I have asked them a question, they have always given me a straight answer and they have always been interested in helping me which is nice so they have both been helpful."
Dunne's reaction to the outcry was emphatic when McLaren, impressed by his progress, gave him a taste of his ultimate dream in Austria at the end of June.
For the first free practice session before the Formula 1 Austrian GP, Alex Dunne was given the chance to fill in for established McLaren star Lando Norris.
Dunne was the
He was not overawed by the occasion as he clocked the fourth fastest time, faster than the likes of
Only
ALL THE SMALL THINGS
Norris would go on to win the Austrian GP outright and remark: "I might give Alex my FP1 seat every time."
And the Irishman praised both the Englishman and Piastri for being open in sharing their knowledge with the starlet.
He added: "I spoke with Lando quite a bit recently.
"The week before FP1, I did an F1 test. On the second day, I was sharing the car with Lando so, during the day, I spoke to him quite a lot about numerous different things.
"I think there are little things I always try to pick up on. I think also from Oscar as well. They are both very good drivers.
"Obviously, first and second in the world championships so I kind of try to learn what I can but they have also been very accommodating.
"They haven't necessarily been trying to hide it.
"Every time I have asked them a question, they have always given me a straight answer and they have always been interested in helping me which is nice so they have both been helpful."
When he returned to the McLaren paddock, he was greeted by his dad and who many, including this writer, believed to be his brother in an Offaly jersey.
But he revealed: "He actually is not my brother. He is the son of my sponsor. He is actually one of my good friends.
"With everything on social media, everyone thinks he is my brother. You are not the only one!
"My dad has been there with me every weekend. Warren Hughes, who is my driving coach with McLaren, he has always been there by my side. Luke, in the Offaly jersey, him and his dad who is my sponsor have been there pretty much every race week this year."
CHASING GLORY
Dunne was disqualified from the F2 Austrian GP that same weekend but bounced back by claiming his fifth podium of the season in England at the start of July.
The next race weekend is in
On Monday, he tested for the Formula E team which made for a unique experience in and of itself.
He added: "FE is electric and with that the torque is instantaneous when you go on the power so it delivers all the power straight away, whereas in an F2 car, for example, much the same as a manual road car, the speed builds up as you go up through the gears.
"Then what I would call 'push 350' is when you can turn up the power mode and engage four wheel drive and have power from all four wheels whereas in F2, it is just the rear wheels so that is another thing to get used to.
"I think in general in Formula E, there are no slicks; it is a road tire, basically, so in dry conditions you have less grip and in wet conditions you have much less grip and then also there is very, very different down force.
"It is a completely different beast."
The 19-year-old is not looking beyond the end of this current season, but has grand designs for what he will have accomplished.
He declared: "Win F2. I think that is a simple one.
"The best opportunity I am going to give myself to be an F1 driver is by winning F2. I think it is as simple as that.
"If I get the opportunities to do another FP1, it will be to do the exact same thing I did in Austria but even better.
"If I can continue to improve and do a good job every time I get in the car, that will help my chances."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

'Win by will' - The powerful video Katie Taylor sent to the Lions
'Win by will' - The powerful video Katie Taylor sent to the Lions

The 42

timean hour ago

  • The 42

'Win by will' - The powerful video Katie Taylor sent to the Lions

PERFORMANCE COACH GARY Keegan's old connections came in handy for the Lions as they prepared for their second Test win against the Wallabies. Keegan, who works closely with Andy Farrell with Ireland and now the Lions, goes a long way back with Irish boxing icon Katie Taylor. He was the high performance director of the Irish Athletic Boxing Association when Taylor began to make a name for herself as an amateur, helping to guide the early stages of her career. So earlier this week, as Farrell's Lions prepared for what they knew could be a decisive game against Australia in Melbourne, Keenan got onto his old friend. Taylor's video went down brilliantly with the Lions squad and proved prescient in terms of how the second Test unfolded. 'It was unbelievably poignant and powerful,' said Lions and Ireland number eight Jack Conan after the last-gasp 29-26 win over the Wallabies. 'It spoke about being prepared to win with skill, but be ready to win by will. 'I think that was something that summed up today massively because we were not at our best at all.' Conan hails from Bray, where Taylor is also from, so the video was particularly special for him. 'Massively, huge,' said Conan. 'Someone to come from the town I'm from, I'm incredibly proud of where I come from and I know Katie is as well. 'She's gone on to achieve incredible feats in the boxing world and to be such a superstar and be just incredibly humble and driven and knock it out of herself is something that we kind of leaned on as well, because we knew that Australia are a hugely proud nation and they showed it today in spades. Advertisement 'They were unbelievable, they really were, but we just stuck in it for 80 minutes and just incredibly proud of the effort from the lads. Katie Taylor celebrates her recent win against Amanda Serrano. Gary Carr / INPHO Gary Carr / INPHO / INPHO 'I know things didn't click and we weren't flowing properly, but we were getting off the line, trying to hit people, trying to make it count every chance we got. And I think we did that and that's why we got the result in the end.' It wasn't only Conan and the big group of Irish Lions who were impressed with Taylor's message. Her words hit the mark with the rest of the squad. 'Lads absolutely loved it because it meant a lot to me being from the same place and seeing her on the world stage, but I think everyone loved it, even the English and the Scottish boys and the Welsh boy, it resonated with everyone,' said Conan. 'It was unbelievably poignant, it was class. It really hit home for us, it was brilliant.' Conan was standing outside the Lions' dressing room with two cans of Guinness in his hands – 'Sorry, the cans are not good, lads' – as he got his head around winning a series with the Lions. He played all three Tests on the 2021 tour of South Africa but the Lions lost that one and there were no crowds due to the pandemic. This trip to Australia has been altogether different. He revealed that the Lions' training session on Thursday ahead of the second Test was 'pretty shocking' and felt that possibly fed into their up-and-down performance at the MCG, but all that mattered to him was that the tourists had won. Conan joked that as a Leinster man he usually comes out on the wrong side of dramatic finishes like the one in Melbourne, so he was thrilled that his long-time team-mate Hugo Keenan, who is nicknamed 'Barry,' was the man to seal the series. 'I was delighted for him… now in saying that, I would have liked it more if he gave me the ball on the edge and I scored the try,' said Conan. Conan with his daughter, Remi, and wife, Ali. Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO 'No, delighted for Barry, I probably would have dropped it like the other one [in the first half]… no, that was knocked out of my hands, lads! 'I was shouting for it, but Barry goes and scores a try, so I've no complaints. If he bottled it there in that moment, I would have killed him and kicked the arse off him afterwards, but that was great.' Conan's wife and daughter have been in Australia to support him, while his twin sister and her husband also made it, along with a big group of Conan's friends. 'They're on a proper stag do, some craic,' said Conan. 'I met one of them earlier who flew in from Singapore and all the lads were already in the pub at half ten [in the morning] enjoying it and I was like, 'f*cking b*stards, I'd love to be there'. 'It's great doing the lap afterwards and seeing so many familiar faces.' His friends had an early start in the pub but Conan is now a Lions series winner. 'You can't take that away from us,' said Conan with clear joy before wandering off to find the rest of the Lions so his celebrations could continue.

TD to make formal complaint after 'being pushed by garda' before All-Ireland
TD to make formal complaint after 'being pushed by garda' before All-Ireland

Irish Daily Mirror

time2 hours ago

  • Irish Daily Mirror

TD to make formal complaint after 'being pushed by garda' before All-Ireland

Kerry TD Danny Healy-Rae says he has decided to make a formal complaint after allegedly being pushed by a garda before Sunday's All-Ireland final. 'I will [complain] tomorrow, guaranteed, because we did not deserve that,' the deputy told the Irish Mirror on Sunday evening, several hours after the incident in Dublin city centre. The politician was with dozens of fellow Kerry fans in the Cathedral Street street area of the inner city - beside O'Connell Street - when the incident happened. READ MORE: Tears in Croke Park as murdered mother and her two children remembered at All-Ireland final READ MORE: 'It's devastating' - Irish mum's tears over abduction of her two children The incident was caught on camera and was posted online - before quickly going viral. It had been viewed around 100,000 times on social media sites by Sunday night The footage appears to show a uniformed garda using one hand to move Deputy Healy-Rae away from him. The incident started when hundreds of Kerry fans were lining the street ahead of the Croke Park showdown with Donegal for Sam Maguire - and face off their county would later win. Danny Healy-Rae was allegedly pushed by a garda before Sunday's All-Ireland final Several fans noticed Deputy Healy-Rae - who was wearing a Kerry hat and lanyard - walking along the street. He acknowledged the cheers and waved to the fans before walking a few yards. He stopped to wave to fans again, before turning to walk down the street - which is when the incident with the garda happened. The two men walk close to each other and then the garda appears to stick out a hand to move the deputy out of his way. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week The garda then walks on, but a clearly upset Deputy Healy-Rae goes back to approach the officer. The two men talk to each other for a few seconds before they go their separate ways - while the crowd starts booing. Speaking after Kerry's 1-26 to 0-19 victory over Donegal, Deputy Healy-Rae said he was disappointed by the officer's actions. And he said he would be making a complaint on Monday morning. Such complaints are handled by Fiosru, the independent policing watchdog. He said: 'I will tomorrow. I am too busy today, I have a lot of calls there to answer and stuff. I will tomorrow, guaranteed, because we did not deserve that. We came up for no trouble - we came up supporting our team. I expected better from the gardai.' Independent Kerry TD Danny Healy-Rae has said he will now make a complaint over the incident. (Image: Gareth Chaney Collins) The Kerry TD praised said the other gardai on duty were fine. He said: 'There were other lovely gardai there and they were doing their duty. Deputy Healy-Rae said he had been inundated with comments from other Kerry fans - including those who witnessed the incident. He said: 'They are all talking to me about it. They booed the garda and everything at that stage. I am disappointed with his behaviour. I did nothing to deserve that. There was no trouble. I just don't know.' The Irish Mirror contacted gardai for comment on Sunday evening. A spokeswoman said in a statement: 'An Garda Síochána does not comment on unverified social media content. Any person who wishes to report the conduct of a member of An Garda Síochána can do so by contacting Fiosrú.' Sign up to the Irish Mirror's Courts and Crime newsletter here and get breaking crime updates and news from the courts direct to your inbox.

I'm an Irish driving instructor and here is what I would do to pass the test for the first time tomorrow
I'm an Irish driving instructor and here is what I would do to pass the test for the first time tomorrow

The Irish Sun

time3 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

I'm an Irish driving instructor and here is what I would do to pass the test for the first time tomorrow

AN Irish driving instructor has revealed what he would do to pass the test for the first time tomorrow. There are certain measures you can take last minute to increase your chances of passing. Advertisement 2 @Vistadrivingschool is a popular Irish driving instructor on TikTok Credit: Journalist Collect 2 And he shared what you should do if your'e taking the test tomorrow Credit: Journalist Collect @Vistadrivingschool is a popular Irish driving instructor on And he shared with his followers what you should do to pass your test first time. The first step he said he would do is to ensure his car is up to scratch and A roadworthy car must have properly functioning brakes, lights, indicators, mirrors, steering and tyres. Advertisement READ MORE IN MOTORS Tyres should have a tread depth of at least 1.6mm and be correctly inflated and all fluid levels such as engine oil, coolant, brake fluid and screen wash should be at the correct levels. The driving instructor said: "You want to make sure your indicators are working, you wanna make sure your brake lights are working, that your tyres are in a good shape and not damaged. "It doesn't matter if you have an NCT, if one of these things are damaged or isn't working correctly the tester will call it a non-conductable test and you won't even be able to drive." Up next, the Advertisement MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN Live Blog Exclusive When you're unsure where you're going, you're more likely to make last-minute turns and miss exits. This can lead to unsafe manoeuvres or distractions on the day that even increase the risk of an I'm an Irish driving instructor and here is when you are allowed to overtake on a continuous white line during your test Knowing routes in advance also helps you build confidence, especially as a novice driver. The driving instructor said: "You must know your routes well enough, and if you can't go out and practice if it was tomorrow, try to study up on them as best as you can. Advertisement 'Nothing is going to surprise you on the day' "Knowing your route as well as you can is such an advantage because you'll know all of the twists and turns, you'll know the awkward corners and where people sometimes step out between cars. "Nothing is going to surprise you on the day when you practice as much as you can or at least study up on it as much as you can. And lastly, the driving instructor said you should understand the Knowing what the test involves means you can prepare properly for each part - whether it's the technical questions at the start, the driving maneuvers or how you'll be assessed when driving. Advertisement When you know what's coming, the driving instructor said you're less likely to be caught off guard or make mistakes due to nerves. He added: "So it's not like you just show up to the test centre, get into the car and start driving. "There is a structure to the driving test - show up about 15 minutes early, when you go into the room they will ask you your road signs and your theory test questions along with your hand signals. "Then they'll bring you outside and you're going to do the underneath the bonnet of the car along with a car check and checking your lights. Advertisement "And then you go off and drive - where you do your maneuvers along with general driving."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store