Alex Dunne signs up for third MP Motorsport seat in FIA Formula 3
2022 British F4 champion Alex Dunne will slot into the final berth in MP Motorsport’s 2024 FIA Formula 3 line-up. The talented Irish youngster steps up from a strong GB3 season that saw him finish a close second in the final standings.
The 18-year-old from Offaly had his first taste of FIA F3 in the end-of-season Macau Grand Prix in which he stuck his car on the front row after starring in Saturday’s qualifying race by fighting his way up from sixth to second. An unfortunate crash put an early end to his race, but he had made his mark – resulting in MP Motorsport signing him up for its third and final FIA F3 seat in 2024. Dunne will team up with Tim Tramnitz and Kacper Sztuka, both of whom were previously announced as FIA F3 drivers for the Dutch outfit.
“I’m thrilled to start my first full season of FIA F3 with MP Motorsport”, said Dunne. “They are proven winners in every category that they compete in, and I’m sure that they will use their experience to help me build on my initial experiences with the F3 car in the post-season FIA F3 test at Imola and then at Macau. I will be up against the best drivers at this level of single-seater racing, but that’s what I’m here for. I relish the challenge ahead and can’t wait to get started!”
“We are truly excited to welcome Alex to our FIA F3 team”, said MP Motorsport’s team principal, Sander Dorsman. “He has had an outstanding year in GB3 and then, fresh into an FIA F3 car, proved his innate pace at Imola and Macau. His Macau performance in particular was hard to overlook, so we were happy to pounce and snap him up for our final FIA F3 seat. Along with Tim and Kacper, we will have three very quick young drivers all eager to prove their point. I’m confident that they will all shine in their debut seasons.”
Following a successful karting career, Dunne made his single-seater bow in 2021 by immediately claiming pole positions and podiums in both the German and Spanish F4 series. Switching to the British and Italian equivalents for 2022, the Irish youngster completed a stand-out season by lifting the British F4 crown with 11 wins, 17 podiums, four poles, and 11 fastest laps, while taking the runner-up spot in Italy with three wins, 11 podiums, and three fastest laps. A move to GB3 in 2023 led to Dunne ending up a very close second in the championship, in the process bagging another five wins, seven podiums, one pole, and no less than eight fastest laps.