Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Alex Dunne will return for a second Formula 2 season in 2026 with his current team Rodin Motorsport.
The Irish driver finished fifth in the 2025 drivers’ standings, 61 points behind the champion Leonardo Fornaroli.
He led the standings after the sixth round in Barcelona. However, a series of incidents and penalties during the European leg of season prevented him from staying in contention for the title until the last round. Nevertheless, he achieved two feature race victories, six more podiums and one pole position across the season.
Dunne left the McLaren Driver Development programme in early October. He felt that with McLaren’s well-established line-up in Formula 1, such a decision was “one that needed to be made” in order to widen his options of reaching the pinnacle of motorsport.
“It always makes sense to do a second year if the opportunity is there,” Dunne said about his decision to returning to the series.
“To do a second year with the same team and hit the ground running is always nice. Of course, being an F1 driver in 2026, I would have preferred that. But I think to do F2 again with Rodin will be nice. We have learnt a lot this year. I feel like our pace throughout the season has been really strong. And naturally, starting a second year there will be a lot of things that I have learnt through my rookie year.
“I think F2 and F3, they are both championships where if you do a second year, naturally what you have learned from the rookie year is very beneficial, and it helps quite a lot. This year has been strong. With a year under my belts, the second year we should be in a really good place.”
Dunne’s step-up to F2 came off the back of a tough F3 season with MP Motorsport in 2024. He only achieved two sprint race podiums and finished in a distant 14th place in the drivers’ standings. Previously, he had been British F4 champion in 2022 and GB3 runner-up in 2023, both with Hitech.
“We’re really pleased to have Alex back with the team for a second year,” Rodin’s sporting director Benn Huntingford stated in the team’s press release. “He’s made strong progress throughout this season and we’ve seen real maturity in how he approaches his work both on and off the track. With the experience he’s gained and the continuity we now have, I’m confident he can take another big step forward. It’s great to continue this journey together.”