17-year-old Irish racing driver Alex O’Grady will continue in Formula 4 next year in the GB4 championship as he looks to join Alex Dunne and Fionn McLaughlin in progressing through the ranks.
Earlier this month it was announced that the driver from County Galway would stay with the KMR team for the 2026 GB4 season.
Representing Ireland in Motorsport
Since the start of this decade, the number of Irish drivers making it into single-seaters at the same time has risen significantly. Alex O’Grady joined them in 2024 as he competed in French F4, before switching to GB4 this year.
Next year sees fellow Irish drivers Conor Grant and Jason Smyth join him in GB4. The latter had an incredible year, winning the Formula Ford Festival and the Walter Hayes Trophy.
In an exclusive interview with Pit Debrief, O’Grady talked about his happiness to represent Ireland in Motorsport.
“Yeah, I think I’m very grateful to be able to race in F4. Because I think pretty much it was only me and Fionn [McLaughlin] this year who were the Irish drivers in F4.
“So to be able to represent the country and be one of the only Irish drivers in F4, that’s quite cool. And it’s nice to see there’s more of us coming along with Jason Smyth and Conor Grant next year.
“So yeah, I’m really happy to represent Ireland and hopefully we can win a championship.”
Alex O’Grady is not surprised to see Alex Dunne and Fionn McLaughlin reach F2 and F3 respectively
During his karting days in various classes, Alex O’Grady raced against Alex Dunne and Fionn McLaughlin. The drivers from Offaly and Derry will be taking to the grid in F2 and F3 respectively next year as Ireland will have two drivers supporting F1 at many events next year.
Alex Dunne won two races in Formula 2 in 2025 with Rodin Motorsport. He was a title contender for much of the season. Team and driver errors proved to be costly and he had to settle for P5 in the standings. Nonetheless, the 2022 British F4 champion showed his speed on the world stage. His FP1 run in Austria in the McLaren was a marker of what he can do in a F1 car, too.
As for Fionn McLaughlin, he joined Alex Dunne as a British F4 champion. A very consistent year in 2025 saw the Red Bull junior crowned as champion. He’ll stay with Hitech for the jump to Formula 3.
Naturally O’Grady hopes to be the next Irish driver to reach F3 at some stage. He praised both, but the current KMR driver believes Alex Dunne could well be the biggest driving talent to ever come from Ireland.
“No, I wouldn’t say I’m surprised [they made it to F2 and F3].
“Obviously, in cadets, up until a certain point, I think Fionn, he was kind of not very good. And then suddenly he had a wave of success.
“I think they’ve done very well. They absolutely deserve to be where they are.”
High praise for Alex Dunne
Derek Daly, Tommy Byrne and Eddie Irvine are three of the great talents from the island of Ireland in the past. However, Dunne gets the biggest seal of approval from O’Grady.
“I think Alex Dunne, he’s probably the best Irish racing driver ever. And I think, yeah, he fully deserves to be in F2 and have a shot at F1.
“I think Fionn, as well, has proved himself to be very good to win British F4 in his rookie season.
“So yeah, I’m happy for them. And hopefully I can follow their path.”
Alex O’Grady on his friendship with Alex Dunne and the help of their family
Max Verstappen is the biggest name in the single-seater world to drive on iRacing. In the last decade, it has become a massively important tool for drivers to hone their craft and keep sharp when they are not racing on real tracks.
O’Grady explained how he games with Dunne and the friendship he has with the Formula 2 star. Their fathers also discuss things regarding O’Grady’s career as the younger Alex looks to make his way up the F1 feeder series ladder as well.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t say he’s a mentor. He’s just more of a friend to me.
“We do a bit of driving on the sim together. We play Fortnite and other games like that sometimes too.
“But yeah, he’s definitely a good person to look up to.
“And obviously Noel [Dunne] as well helps us out, advises my dad on what to do.
“So they’re definitely good people to have close to you.”
