Alpine F1 enrolls Alex Dunne into junior academy

F2 charger Alex Dunne is Alpine-bound, the 20-year-old Irishman stepping into the Enstone squad’s driver academy fold as he prepares for a second assault on the FIA Formula 2 Championship – but this time with momentum.

After finishing fifth in his rookie F2 campaign in 2025, Dunne returns to the grid with Rodin Motorsport, balancing unfinished business in the feeder series with a new development role under Alpine’s watchful eye.

The destination is clear. The path, finally, has shape.

“I am really happy to be joining the Alpine Academy and making this next step in my racing career," Dunne said.

"I am very grateful for the trust the team has in me to represent the team and the brand on the global stage in FIA Formula 2, which has proven to be the perfect place to progress young drivers into professional racing roles.

"Naturally, after a competitive season in 2025, the goal this year is to fight for the Drivers' Championship."

Those words carry weight. Dunne’s journey hasn’t been linear. He logged two rookie FP1 outings with McLaren last season, only to part ways with the Woking squad in October when the route to a full-time seat narrowed.

A brief link-up with Red Bull’s Helmut Marko followed, before that door, too, closed. But racing careers are built as much on resilience as raw speed – and Dunne appears to have both in abundance.

A Three-Way Title Fight in Sight for Alpine's Juniors

Alpine’s driver pipeline is suddenly one of the most intriguing in the paddock. Dunne joins a roster that includes reserve driver Paul Aron – already armed with the superlicence points required for Formula 1 – as well as fellow F2 contenders Kush Maini and Gabriele Mini.

It’s a trio that will share the same objective in 2026: domination. Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore made that crystal clear.

“We are pleased to welcome Alex to Alpine as a member of our Academy,” commented the flamboyant Italian.

“His performances in FIA Formula 2 and also his free practice sessions in Formula 1 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 Formula 2 with Gabriele Mini and Kush Maini. We look forward to watching the three of them compete in FIA Formula 2 in 2026 where the goal is very clear: to win the Drivers' Championship."

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There’s no ambiguity there. Alpine doesn’t just want promise – it wants silverware.

For Dunne, the mission is simple: convert potential into titles. And the young gun has already shown he can mix it at the sharp end. Now, backed by a factory programme and with clarity about his future, he has the structure to match his ambition.

The next chapter begins not with uncertainty, but with intent.

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