Photo: Alpine
Alpine has announced on the eve of the Formula 2 season that Alex Dunne has joined its Academy, while Melvin Kalousdian has been added to the Red Bull Junior Team.
It brings an end to almost half a year of uncertainty about the future of Dunne’s career, as he left the McLaren Driver Development Programme in early October 2025 and then an attempted move to the RBJT failed to be realised and left him without a Formula 1 team’s backing.
“I am really happy to be joining the Alpine Academy and making this next step in my racing career. I am very grateful for the trust the team has in me to represent the team and the brand on the global stage in F2, which has proven to be the perfect place to progress young drivers into professional racing roles,” said Dunne.
“Naturally, after a competitive season in 2025, the goal this year is to fight for the driver’s championship. Last year was a great experience on many fronts. Lots learned, lots gained, some challenges along the way, but everything has made me a better driver, a better person, and I aim to give my all for Alpine and doing my best as an Alpine Academy driver. It would be great to reward the team for their faith with wins and podiums and I am excited to work together with everyone in this next chapter of my career.”
Dunne was signed by McLaren in May 2024, and that year finished sixth in the Macau Grand Prix (which ran for Formula Regional cars) and was 14th in the FIA Formula 3 Championship.
He started 2025 by becoming the reserve driver for McLaren’s Formula E team, then signed with Rodin Motorsport to step up to F2. The 20-year-old Irishman’s season began with two victories in the first four rounds, and he went on to come fifth in the standings as he took a further six podiums and two poles.
In summer he made his F1 free practice debut at the Austrian Grand Prix and drove in the FE rookie test in Berlin. Dunne got another F1 call-up for Italian Grand Prix practice, then left McLaren as he saw no way into its F1 driver line-up. In December he committed to a second F2 season with Rodin.
The Alpine F1 team’s executive advisor Flavio Briatore commented: “[Dunne’s] performances in F2 and also his free practice sessions in F1 last year were impressive and he is clearly a very talented young driver with pure, natural speed. We have a talented pool of drivers in F2 with Gabriele Mini and Kush Maini. We look forward to watching the three of them compete in F2 in 2026 where the goal is very clear: to win the driver’s championship.”
Red Bull’s new signing Kalousdian won his come country Sweden’s junior karting championship in 2024 then its Formula Renault 1.6-based Formula Nordic championship in 2025, and the 14-year-old will now race in Britain’s entry-level sportscar series Ginetta Junior.