For the fourth time in five F2 rounds in 2026, Rodin Motorsport driver Alex Dunne qualified inside the top 3 — before any penalties have been applied — at the Barcelona-Catalunya GP. Thanks to a grid drop for Joshua Dürksen, the Irishman is set to start on the front row for the Feature Race.
3rd quickest in Free Practice, the 20-year-old was also P3 on the road when the chequered flag flew in qualifying.
Due to the significant tyre degradation at the Circuit de Catalunya, only one really good lap could be posted on every set of tyres. Having exceeded track limits on run one, Dunne was under pressure heading into the final lap.
Moments before a yellow flag appeared as Ritomo Miyata crashed in the final corner, Alex Dunne went from last to 3rd in 2026 F2 Barcelona-Catalunya GP qualifying.
He ended up behind both Invicta as Rafael Câmara took a dominant pole position. If the Brazilian had done a second run, the gap would have been over a tenth. The 2025 F3 champion was 0.4s clear of the field after the first runs.
Alex Dunne on a good qualifying result in 2026 Barcelona F2 round
Speaking in the post-qualifying press conference to Pit Debrief and other media outlets, the two-time F2 race winner conceded he did not have the pace for pole against Câmara and Durksen but was satisfied to be in the top 3 once more.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s not too bad.
“I think definitely we probably didn’t quite have the pace to put it on pole today. I think the lap time I did is more or less as quick as I could have gone, I think.
“So yeah, I think definitely there’s a little bit left to see where we’re losing the pace to them. I think that’s definitely something we’ll pay attention to, to try and find what we were missing.
“But I think just to be there, even when the car isn’t as good or when we’re missing a little bit as a team, to still be there, I think that’s what matters.”
Race pace
Last year at this venue, Rodin Motorsport had one of their weaker weekends of a hugely strong year as they lacked a small bit of pace to the likes of Campos, with rookie F1 star Arvid Lindblad winning the Feature Race.
While unsure of how things will pan out tomorrow and Sunday, Dunne admitted that the pace of his former Italian F4 rival Câmara was an extremely strong and impressive heading into the 2026 edition.
“I’ll tell you after the Sprint race tomorrow,” he joked initially.
“No, I mean, our race pace is normally quite strong, but I think still, if you look at the gap in comparison to them two [Câmara and Dürksen], I think especially the lap time Rafa did on run 1, I think the fact that he’s on pole after run 1 is very impressive.
“Normally, I think if he went back out and just drove the exact same way already with the fuel effect, he’d probably go two or three tenths quicker. So, that’s quite a big jump. So, I think that pace is pretty impressive.
“And they’ve been quick in the races all year as well, so I don’t imagine they’re going to just lose that randomly. I think if we can get a bit closer, I’d be happy, but I don’t imagine to be the quickest all of a sudden.”
Alex Dunne on the difficulties of managing tyres and staying within track limits at Circuit de Catalunya in 2026 F2 Barcelona qualifying
Although Barcelona is a circuit that is extremely familiar to the vast majority of single-seater drivers on the F1, F2 and F3 grids, it is not an easy one to master.
However, with the race weekend is generally held in May or June. Warm temperatures in Barcelona is extremely common. With plenty of high and medium speed corners, the tyres face high loads and quickly overheat.
Track limits also come in play. Between a relatively low grip surface thanks to the heat and the tyres struggling, getting a fast but clean time is tricky.
Asked by Pit Debrief about keeping it within track limits while trying to lean on the tyre as it degs on a qualifying lap at the Circuit de Catalunya, Dunne explained the importance of having a good car balance.
“I mean, I want to say no [that it’s difficult to avoid track limits] because I think realistically a lot of the time when you do go outside track limits is because you’ve either made a mistake or overpushed.
“I think when everything is normal and you’re comfortable with the car, then I would say staying within track limits isn’t that bad. But I think when you’re struggling with the balance, it’s maybe a bit on edge, you’re probably not quite comfortable, then it can become a lot more difficult.
“But I think in majority of the corners here where you can go outside of track limits, you end up losing time because of it. There’s nowhere where you can really go off track limits and actually gain.”
Miami levels of heat but challenges not a surprise
“But I think in general, I think with the temperatures and with the performance of the tyre in these conditions, it’s always going to be difficult.
“It was very, very hot today. I think not too far away in terms of temperature from what we had in Miami. I think it’s kind of similar.
“So it is difficult, but at the same time, it’s something we’ve all experienced. Last year in Barcelona, it was very hot. The year previous to that, when I was in F3, it was very hot then as well.
“It’s kind of a common thing here where everyone knows coming into this weekend that it’s going to be hot and managing your tyres through the lap and through sector three is something that everyone’s very aware of. So there are a couple of things to think about and those things are difficult.
“But at the same time, first of all, it’s the same for everyone, and it’s something that we all expect because it’s happened so many years in a row now.”
Focus on consistency
Heading into the two races at the 2026 F2 Barcelona-Catalunya GP, Alex Dunne is the only driver to have secured a podium at every round to date. He is 15 points off championship Gabriele Mini, sitting 4th in the standings.
Since making his debut in F2 last year, the 2022 British F4 champion has been very quick and a consistent front runner. While there has been incidents, the raw speed is undeniable.
Asked about the importance of winning to add to the podiums so far in 2026, Alex Dunne wants to take high percentage decisions and bag good points each time to build a title charge across a whole season.
“I mean, to put it politely, I don’t really care, to be honest.
“Of course, a win would be nice, but I think in the past, a win maybe is something that we probably chased a little bit too much.
“And right now, the last couple of rounds, it’s starting to be a bit more calm and a bit more consistent. And it’s more enjoyable that way. It’s more relaxing for me as well.
“I think if we can just continue to bring home good points, stay out of trouble, keep our nose clean, to keep it like that until the end of the year, I’d be much happier.”
Take an opportunity but not go overboard
“Of course, I want to win. And when the opportunity is there, I can guarantee I’m going to go for it.
“But I think in saying that, when sometimes things are a bit more on the limit, I think I’d rather err on the side of caution and come home with a couple of points rather than none.
“So, definitely, a win would be nice. And we’ve been very close. And we’ve been close to pole here and there. It’s been very close throughout the season so far.
“But we’ve been consistent. And now we’re starting to pick up some good points.
“So if we can continue like that, I’d still be happy.”
