For a moment, it seemed like Alex Dunne had delivered the perfect comeback. From pole position at Spa-Francorchamps, the McLaren junior controlled the 2025 F2 Feature Race from start to finish. He built a gap, responded under pressure, and drove with calm authority — a marked difference from his 2024 F3 appearance at the same venue, where a strong Qualifying performance faded into a tenth-place finish.
However, motorsport does not always allow fairy-tale endings to go uninterrupted. Shortly after taking the chequered flag, the Stewards handed Dunne a ten-second time penalty for failing to engage the start set-up procedure at the beginning of the formation lap — a small but crucial technical error. The penalty dropped him from P1 to P9 in the final classification, denying him the victory but not the validation of a weekend where he had clearly demonstrated growth.
Looking back to move forward
When asked by Pit Debrief how much he had grown since his previous visit to Spa during the post-race press conference, Dunne did not hesitate to reflect on the past year — not with frustration, but with perspective.
“I’ve learned quite a bit. I think definitely I feel like each weekend I’m getting better and better and I think that’s showing in the results,” he said. “In comparison to last year, I wouldn’t say I’m a way better driver. I think I did a pretty good job last year. There were just a couple of things that didn’t quite go right.”
The 2024 F3 weekend at Spa-Francorchamps had been one of missed opportunity. Dunne’s front-row start that year ultimately ended in a P10 finish — a tough pill to swallow for a driver who was showing flashes of real promise but still lacked the consistency and experience needed to convert potential into podiums. Fast-forward to 2025, and his pace has remained, but his poise and race management have matured, as fitting for an F2 driver.
“I’m very happy with the performance I’m doing at the moment. I think in all conditions — wet, dry, quali, race, whatever it may be — we’re always there and we’re always one up, if not the quickest.”
Indeed, that pace was on display at Spa. Dunne managed the race from the front with clean precision, keeping his rivals at bay while preserving tyres and navigating the circuit’s many traps. Even after the penalty stripped him of the win, there was no mistaking the quality of the drive.
McLaren’s role in Dunne’s evolution
Instrumental to Dunne’s improvement in the 2025 F2 season has been his continued development under the McLaren Driver Development Programme. The support has come in many forms — from technical insight and simulator work to physical preparation and occasional time behind the wheel of F1 machinery.
“McLaren have really pushed me on this year. They’ve done a lot of help — whether it be whenever I’m driving F1, or on the sim, or even just preparation for F2.”
Working with a top-tier Formula 1 team has not only honed Dunne’s driving craft but also elevated his mental approach. He’s becoming increasingly aware of the small margins that define success in a category as tightly contested as F2 — margins that, ironically, were at play in his Spa penalty.
It’s the kind of growth that doesn’t always show up on paper but becomes evident over time: in qualifying consistency, in cleaner starts, in smarter tyre management, and in how he handles adversity. And in Dunne’s case, it’s clear that those lessons are sinking in.
A setback — but not a step back
Though Dunne officially finished ninth after the time penalty, the 2025 F2 Feature Race at Spa-Francochamps remains a milestone performance. For a young driver, bouncing back from disappointment with maturity is just as important as celebrating success — and Dunne’s post-race response showed a growing ability to focus on the long game.
“I feel like I’m improving every weekend, and that’s always a good thing as a driver. I’m always getting better and better, so hopefully we can continue on to the end of the year.”
While the points tally from Spa did not reflect the drive’s quality, it’s the performance that will stay with teams, engineers, and fans alike. Moments like these — where a driver shows that they can win, even if the record book says otherwise — often mark the turning points in a career.
Eyes on the F2 Championship
Despite the penalty and points loss, Dunne remains a top contender in the 2025 F2 title fight. The Irishman has shown the ability to learn quickly, adapt to pressure, and extract performance in varied conditions — all key traits of a future F1 driver.
As Formula 2 heads into the closing rounds of the season, Dunne’s momentum may prove more valuable than any single result. He may have left Spa with a P9 next to his name, but in terms of racecraft, maturity, and resilience, he left looking more like a champion than ever before.
