Alex Dunne was in a class of his own during qualifying at the F2 Belgian GP, setting a spectacular lap time of 1:57.151 to claim pole position by an impressive margin of over four tenths of a second. The performance moves the Rodin Motorsport driver to within just 12 points of the championship lead with five rounds remaining.
Having topped Free Practice earlier in the day, Dunne continued his dominant form when it mattered most. The Irishman was consistently quick throughout the 30-minute qualifying session, setting purple sectors across all three sections of the track on multiple occasions.
“I think it was pretty good,” Dunne reflected after securing pole. “You know, I think for me the most satisfying thing is the fact that, you know, I was four tenths clear in FP as well and in both sessions I was purple in all three sectors, so I think it shows that there are, you know, in terms of general speed there wasn’t a whole lot left out there which is always nice.”
Building the advantage
The qualifying session began with drivers jockeying for track position to benefit from slipstreams on Spa’s long straights, where nearly 75% of the lap is spent on full throttle. After the initial running, it was Luke Browning who set the first benchmark time with a 1:58.537, before Dunne immediately responded with a 1:58.340 to take provisional pole.
Dunne’s dominance became apparent on his second flying lap when he crossed the line with three purple sectors, improving to 1:57.863 and establishing a commanding four-tenth advantage over his nearest rival, Leonardo Fornaroli.
The final phase of qualifying saw drivers return to the track on fresh soft tyres for one last attempt to challenge Dunne’s supremacy. Despite the field’s best efforts, the McLaren junior driver found even more pace on his final run, extending his advantage to an unassailable seven tenths with his pole-winning lap of 1:57.151.
“I think there’s probably a couple of places where I could gain a couple of tenths, but in general so very, very happy, and I think with a margin that we have it shows we’re in a good place,” Dunne explained, remarkably suggesting there was still time to be found despite his dominant performance.
Ride onboard with Alex Dunne as he charged to a super-Spa Pole Position! 🥇✨#F2 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/LHoVcntgl5
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) July 25, 2025
A boost for Dunne’s F2 Championship campaign
The pole position carries significant championship implications, with Dunne now sitting just 12 points behind series leader Richard Verschoor, who could only manage 11th in qualifying. The result exemplifies Dunne’s approach to maximising opportunities when his title rivals struggle.
“Of course, I think it’s always nice for me,” Dunne said when asked about the absence of his championship competitors from the front rows. “You know, I think I’ve said that I think a big thing about F2 is maximising your weekends when the other people maybe not, maybe they don’t quite have the pace and I think that’s what we did today, you know, the people around us in the championship aren’t really, I don’t even think any of them are in the top 10, and I’m on pole, so I’m exactly where I need to be.”
Special connection to Spa-Francorchamps
The achievement holds particular significance for Dunne, who claimed his first single-seater pole position at Spa-Francorchamps in Spanish Formula 4 back in 2021. When asked by Pit Debrief to reflect on that journey, the 19-year-old acknowledged how far he has travelled in just a few short years.
“I think it’s been pretty cool,” Dunne said during the post-session press conference. “You know, I think if you told 15-year-old me at that point that I was going to be on pole in F2 here a couple of years later, I don’t think you would have believed you. So, no, it’s been it’s been a cool journey.”
The Irishman credited his support network for his success this season, highlighting the role of McLaren and Rodin Motorsport in his development. “I think I’m very, very lucky to be where I am, you know, with with McLaren, with Rodin. I think in general, it’s always tricky to progress through the ranks. But I think, you know, this year has kind of clicked a little bit more than it has with others, you know, not necessarily as a driver, but I think the whole environment and the support I have around me has been a key part to the success this year.”
Mastering a legendary track
Mastering Spa-Francorchamps’ layout requires supreme confidence and commitment, particularly through the circuit’s high-speed sections. Dunne demonstrated exactly those qualities, though he acknowledged the challenge of putting together a perfect lap.
“Yeah, it is tricky. I think, you know, there’s a lot of areas where you need to have very high confidence and really be comfortable with being on the limit because I think that’s what rewards lap time around here,” he explained. “I think my second lap of round one was a really, really strong lap and probably not quite.
“Probably I think my last lap wasn’t quite as good as that one, so no, I think there was, I think in general if I put the best of qualifying together it would have been really strong, but it was still strong anyway, so I don’t think I can complain.”
Starting Sunday’s Feature Race on pole, Dunne is in a position to maximise his points haul and mount a serious challenge for the championship lead. While Ollie Goethe will start from pole for Saturday’s Sprint Race, the stage is set for what could prove to be a pivotal weekend in Dunne’s championship campaign.
