Interview
Alexander Dunne on 2026 season, signing with Alpine, recovering from tough moments and the Irish support
Alexander Dunne is in the thick of the championship battle and his confidence in himself to get it done is high.
The Rodin Motorsport driver has achieved a podium in each of the opening five rounds and is yet to qualify outside the top four this season.
Heading to Spielberg, Dunne is fourth in the standings with 67 points – trailing leader Gabriele Minì by 19 points.
“The pace has been very good,” he says when talking about his start to the season. “If you look at it as a team, I think over the first few rounds, Martinius and I were the only two drivers to qualify in the top four.
“I probably should have been on pole in Miami without the mistake at the last corner. So overall, I think it's just been about putting it together.”
RECOVERING FROM DIFFICULT MOMENTS
Despite the impressive form, it has not quite been smooth sailing for Dunne.
In Melbourne, after scoring a podium in the Sprint Race, Dunne, and teammate Martinius Stenshorne collided while fighting for the lead in the Feature.
At the next round in Miami, after another podium, the 20-year-old went slightly off-line at the penultimate corner and into the barrier.
In Montreal, he collided with Joshua Duerksen in the Sprint, before returning on Sunday to finish second behind Stenshorne in the Feature.
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“These incidents are just little things that have had a big effect,” he acknowledges. “I think there's probably more focus on those things because they happened back-to-back.
“If they happen individually in very different parts of the year, it wouldn't look as bad as it is. The fact that it's the first few rounds and they happened in the first two Feature Races, it just makes it a bit more obvious.
“I know what I'm capable of and I know that the pace is more than there. But I also know that there are some things I need to work on.”
So how did Dunne recover from these setbacks, especially the one that happened with his teammate and good friend in Melbourne?
“I just get back in the car and keep driving,” he says. “No matter what happens on track, you can never let it affect you. You should never let anything impact how well of a job you do when you're pressing the pedals and turning the steering wheel. So, you just need to forget about it and move on.
“What's happened has happened, and if I dwell on it too long then it's just going to make things worse. Unfortunately, we can't go back and change them, so I'm not worried moving forward.”
Dunne has not let these incidents define him, and continues to show impressive form, following up his strong rookie campaign where he finished fifth with another positive showing in 2026.
Despite that, the Rodin driver has had to deal with a lot of online criticism.
“I'm very much my father's son,” Dunne explains. “He's very much the type of person who doesn't really care about what people say, and as I've gotten older, I’ve developed that type of personality.
“I don't like to talk about it and I don't like to make myself a victim, but realistically, I don't think it's normal for a kid at 20 to be receiving death threats just because of mistakes you make when you're racing.
“A young driver goes out trying their best, trying to learn, trying to achieve their goals and they make one slight mistake and they have half the world slating them for it. I don't think that's right.”
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SUPPORT FROM IRELAND
After Round 2 in Miami, Dunne returned to his home karting track in Ireland, Mondello Park, where he was greeted by many fans.
The opportunity to see so many people supporting him on his journey is a feeling he plans on never forgetting.
“It's very, very cool to see the amount of people that were there with T-shirts that had my name on it, and that were there see me,” he says. “I couldn't walk outside for five minutes without being swarmed by a group of people.
“I'm still at the stage where all of that seems very cool and I hope it stays like that. The support from the fans at home and the Irish people is really nice.
“After the first two rounds being so difficult, to see how supportive everyone was, how much they're behind me and how much they want me to do well, it was almost like a wake-up call to brush off the first two rounds and get on with it.
“To see the amount of people that really want me to make it to Formula 1, I would almost feel like not only would I let down myself, but the Irish people that really, really want it to happen.”
NEW LIFE AT ALPINE
In good news for those Irish fans, Dunne’s position as a member of the Alpine Academy was announced at the start of this season.
The 20-year-old says it is “so far, so good” with the Formula 1 team, revealing how “welcoming” they have been to him.
But Dunne is not the only driver on the grid who is a part of their academy, with Minì and Kush Maini also having the pink liveries on their cars this season. While that means there is competition, it does not change his approach right now.
“It doesn't really change much for me in the way you approach a weekend,” Dunne continues. “We have the same livery, but they are two other drivers on the grid like everyone else. So, it doesn’t change much.”
PLAN FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON
Dunne’s admits his ideal weekend would be to be on pole and win the Feature Race, but he knows that is not always possible.
So, the Rodin driver’s approach is to take what is on offer, especially as he backs his own ability to get the best results each round.
“I know what I'm capable of,” he adds. “I don't really like to talk about how good I think I am because I think I'm not here to talk, I'm here to go out and do it.
“But I know what I'm capable of and I know I'm capable of putting it on pole and winning races. I just need to go out and do what I know I can, I showed it last year, but now it's just about putting it all together and making sure it happens.”