With the 2026 F2 and F3 seasons almost here, it is a massive weekend for Ireland as Alex Dunne and Fionn McLaughlin begin their campaigns.
Not since the Jordan days in the late 90s when they were fairly regularly competing for wins and podiums has Irish Motorsport faced such a significant Grand Prix weekend.
Alpine Academy driver and Rodin Motorsport’s Dunne is set to be a championship contender in F2 once again this year. Meanwhile Red Bull Junior and Hitech’s McLaughlin faces a big jump from Formula 4 to F3.
Alex Dunne on the support of Irish fans and Fionn McLaughlin joining him on select Grand Prix weekends
Since the driver from Offaly burst on the single-seaters scene in 2021, his success has seen a flurry of other Irish drivers come through on the European side of the Atlantic as well. Aside from McLaughlin, Alex O’Grady, Conor Grant and Jason Smyth will all be competing in GB4 this season.
Speaking to Pit Debrief and other media outlets ahead of the 2026 F2 season, Dunne was asked about the support he receives a from the Northwestern European country.
He talked about the special feeling of seeing so many Irish flags on his FP1 debut with McLaren at the 2025 Austrian GP. As well as that, he is happy to see another driver from Ireland reach Grand Prix weekends this year.
“I think it’s really cool to see all the support from Irish fans weekend in, weekend out, and to see now there’s a few more Irish drivers coming up through the ranks as well.
“We have Fionn McLaughlin now in F3. So I won’t be the only Irish driver on an F1 weekend anymore, which is very, very cool to see. And I’m glad he’s getting an opportunity.
“So I think it’s very, very special to have the opportunity to represent Ireland, considering there’s not very many of us. It’s quite a small country.
“So I think if I could put Ireland back on the map in F1, that would be a dream come true.
“But I’ve always said, when I did my first FP1 in Austria, I drove out of the pit lane and I saw all the Irish flags in the grandstand at T1, I think that’s a feeling that you don’t get to experience very often.
“So it’s quite special.”
McLaughlin encourages Irish fans to keep up the support for their drivers
Heading into his rookie season in F3, the 18-year-old from Derry spoke to Pit Debrief and other media outlets, calling on Irish racing fans to keep supporting and believing in drivers from the island.
Fionn McLaughlin also referenced the journey of Alex Dunne to F2 and how that gives him motivation to keep progressing through the ranks as well.
“Yes, I think it’s a good start.
“We’re a small country. There’s not many people here, and in single-seater motorsport we don’t have many [drivers]. Obviously, seeing Alex Dunne do well, he’s the benchmark and you’re trying to follow his footsteps.
“Yes, I think so far we’re doing good, and I think we just need to keep working.
“The people from home need to keep supporting and believing in us, and we’ll definitely do our best to show how good we are.”
