Alex Dunne capped off a busy Friday at Monza with a P5 result in Formula 2 Qualifying, a performance the Rodin Motorsport driver was satisfied with after balancing his F2 title charge and a second FP1 appearance for McLaren.
The Irishman, who had impressed earlier in the season during his debut outing at the Red Bull Ring, jumped back into his F2 machinery after completing another milestone with the Woking squad. Despite limited track time, Dunne immediately found pace.
“It was pretty good, I only had two laps compared to Austria where we had a full uninterrupted session,” Dunne explained. “To be P5 – to jump back in is pretty difficult, whereas this weekend I didn’t really struggle at all. From a driving point of view, I was very happy with that and there was a lot more to come still.”
Dunne climbed from sixth to fifth when Richard Verschoor lost his fastest lap for causing the final Red Flag of the session.
Staying calm in a disrupted session
Several drivers faltered in Qualifying, but Dunne stayed sharp and avoided mistakes. Conscious of his need to settle back into the Rodin car, he insisted on getting laps in even without the benefit of a slipstream.
“At the beginning I said to the team, ‘look, if everyone’s going to sit here in the pitlane, I need to be out on track because I’m more hindered than everyone else because I need to get comfortable in the car again’.”
“I think we did the right thing. In the end we were rewarded in that. The pace was strong, and I think I did a lap more than everyone else, so there will be a bit of performance in that as well.”
Comparing Monza to his Austria experience, Dunne admitted the re-adaptation process was far smoother this time. “Austria was definitely harder jumping back than what it was today, so from that point of view, I’m really happy.”
McLaren FP1 and growing rapport with Norris and Piastri
Earlier in the day, Dunne enjoyed his second FP1 session with McLaren, where he continued to build on the experience gained in Austria. He revealed that support from Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri has been key to managing the F1–F2 balancing act.
“It was pretty cool. I saw Lando coming out of Ascari, and the team told me he was coming, so I thought I’d give him a tow, and he repaid the favour down to Turn 1.”
“It’s cool and I think I have a good relationship with both Lando and Oscar now. Any time I ask them something they’re always happy to give the answer and to try and help me understand how to jump back in.”
“It’s always enjoyable doing FP1, even if it wasn’t as strong as what I’d hope for and what it was in Austria, but overall, it was still ok. My main focus is still F2, and the fact that we’ve qualified well, and the pace is strong gives me hope for the weekend.”
Looking ahead to Sprint and Feature Races
With Qualifying complete, Dunne’s attention has shifted firmly back to his Formula 2 campaign. Confident in Rodin Motorsport’s race pace, he sees an opportunity to bag vital championship points across both races.
“It’s the most similar track to Spa that we’ve had so far, but Qualifying wasn’t as good as it was there,” he said. “If we get a good result, this time I’d like to keep it! That’s the main goal, but I think the pace is strong and there’s more to come. As a team and as a driver too, I feel as though we get stronger in the races, even if Qualifying has been good recently.”
