Alex Dunne Megathread

3rd driver at Cadillac would be a solid enough seat, get a few FP sessions with an eye for a FT drive in 2027.

Sounds like Perez and Bottas have the seats at Caddy.

Mercedes might elevate him to reserve from McLaren but any other move would probably need him released from his McLaren contract.

I think Honda will push Aston to make Tsunoda a reserve driver. One road Dunne could take is Alpine, the second seat seems to be open even if alpine is a shitshow but with Merc power units next year there could be some decent performance in the car

I mean, McLaren have supported Dunne as well, and it’s a tad unfair on Doohan and Colapinto, the latter being very impressive last year. They also had to deal with that dog of a car from Alpine.

Either way, another season at McLaren is no harm.

Fair enough, I’d pick Colapinto out of the lot of them with his sponsorship and potential, not that Dunne doesn’t have that, of course he does. It’ll be hard for him to get a seat at the minute, which is why I think a reserve role will pay dividends for him.

Where I worry is that he could end up like Drugovic, who really should be in F1, and his record is quite impressive too.

Ah here…comparisons to Verstappen. I am a fan of Dunne but that’s hilarious.

To your point of new cars, look at what Cadillac have just done, 2 experienced drivers, and for a good reason.

I still want Dunne in f1, it would be fantastic. I am also keeping the feet on the ground here. He is good but not a Verstappen.

Why would you say its hilarious? Care to share any points on that? It would be good if you backed up your comments with explanations.

Verstappen is a generational talent, and a 4 time world champion. There is no comparison to him and Dunne, at all. I’m a Dunne fan as much as the next, but comparing him to the best driver on the grid right now is a very big stretch.

My comment clearly said comparisons to Verstappen, that doesn't equate to him being the next Verstappen. His driving style is almost identical, amazing speed, aggression and excellent at overtaking, particularly in places no one else tries. As with Verstappen, when he was young the aggression caused many unnecessary crashes. The "epic world class" overtake Verstappen pulled off on Piastri at Imola, Alex pulled off the same move a few hours before in F2.

A move in F2 is nothing compared to a move in F1, so for a start that’s a false comparison. Dunne clearly shows good qualities but not like Verstappen. I think you are seeing what you want to see a bit.

I'm not for one minute saying he is the next Verstappen or that he will turn out to be a 4 time world champion, but I'm most certainly not the only person commenting on the fact their styles are very similar, and many of those comments are coming from the F1 paddock.

Can you share these comments then?

Re Cadillac, they went with experience as they are a new team, not just a new car. But it has been widely reported that they seriously considered a rookie.

Yes they did, Dunne was mentioned only here from what I can see, they were also looking at other drivers as they need some sponsorship to go along with that too.

Look, I get the fanfare for Dunne, it’s exciting to see an Irish driver doing well. I am not losing the run of myself here, he is good but a lot remains to be seen on how good.

To be fair Alonso does Alonso things and Ocon wasn't a team player at all. Hard to see Doohan getting another shot, Colapinto has been rubbish but money keeping him in the game. What are they doing with Paul Aron? I wouldn't be one but surprised to see Horner turn up at Alpine. Mclaren is probably Dunnes only option anyway with hoping either Piastri leaves or other seat options open in 2027. I think he's still a bit clumsy especially open to open, Irish people are jumping the gun with him a bit I feel. Cadillac will surely make Crawford their reserve

You certainly come across as someone who has only known about Dunne since he started making waves in F2, rather than follow him since karting. 

You understand I'm comparing driving styles? It doesn't mean he is the next Verstappen and he wont be either as he seems to be able to control his aggression more than Verstappen at his age. You think when Verstappen was 19 they were calling hm a generational talent? No they weren't he was actually getting dogs abuse for being hot headed and wreckless. Lets not forget the financial backing and surname made his path to F1 much, much easier.

Verstappen was seen as a very big talent since he was a child, so yes they were calling him that way before he was 19. You are aware he won his first race at 18, right?

Driving styles are one thing to compare, out and out talent is another. The hype around Verstappen was there for years, and it proved to be fully correct. As for comparing Dunne and his aggression to Verstappen, apples to oranges, Dunne has made silly silly mistakes in F2 as well, he isn’t free of sin in that regard.

"A move in F2 is nothing compared to a move in F1, so for a start that’s a false comparison.' Actually you could argue the opposite, particularly on that corner where high downforce makes the move much much easier. The F2 car is much more slippery and Alex has confirmed that himself after his F1 drives, ending up with the fastest high speed corner times in his Austria FP1. Regardless, my point was both of them taking on an overtake in a corner rarely done by other drivers, emphasising their similar driving styles.

You are free to argue the opposite, as you have. But it’s not a good comparison, overtaking in an F1 car is far harder than an F2, so that’s another big stretch for a comparison there pal. As for FP1, he did well, but the track ramped up and drivers don’t push hard either, there was a 1 second evolution from fp1 to fp2. Again, he did very well, but it’s not godly.

"Dunne clearly shows good qualities but not like Verstappen". Explain your points here, again making statements without backing them up. Id love yo hear your take on this one.

My take? Verstappen is 4x world champion and the youngest race winner in f1, he holds insane records in f1 at that, youngest driver to start, score, achieve a podium, win and grand slam. Most wins in a season, most consecutive wins, highest percentages of points scored in a season. He is a generational talent. And before F1, multiple karting champion in the European and world stage, rookie season in f3 he won 10 races, 6 of them in a row. He had RB and Merc battling for his signature at an early age, and now we can see why.

I have watched all his highs and lows since his karting days, as I said in a previous post its phenomenal he's made it this far on a shoestring, many times almost quitting due to financial issues. These challenges seem to have further fueled his determination and I think you are underestimating how good he actually is.

I think you are overestimating it. Of course he has done well, no one is denying that. He is fast and has potential, it is just a big stretch to compare him to the likes of Russell, Leclerc, Piastri, Norris and Vertappen. Especially at this stage of his career.

Well you did ask for my opinion.

Out of interest, how exactly will either of us be proven right? We are both fans of Dunne, I was pointing out how wild it was to compare him to Verstappen.

2027 could really see a lot of change. Brundle recently commented that he thinks Verstappen will stay put until 2027 due to the amount of seats that are open in 2027, Alex could hold tight for then as well.

He needs more experience at a top team, McLaren give him that. I do not see a direct route to F1 for 2026, so I think we can write that off for now. If he doesn't win the F2 title this year, another stab at it is no harm.

He has had flashes that impressed, yes. At the minute he is 5th in the championship though, not sure ruling out another season in F2 is really that wise.

Flashes that impressed? Again I think you show you are not watching races and only heard of him recently.

He won Bahrain by 8.4 seconds. He absolutely dominated Imola and won by 6 seconds. Made an incredible pole lap in Monaco. And again completely dominated in Spa with a 3 purple sector pole lap which is very rare. He would be clear at the top of the championship at 167 points to 154 if it weren't for his team's blunders that got him disqualified. And he's a rookie.

Far more impressive than Antonelli, Bearman and Lawson as was just mentioned and also far more impressive than the Red bull darling F1 certainty, Lindblad.

They are not flashes, and F1 teams know it.

Flashes that impressed? Again I think you show you are not watching races and only heard of him recently.

I am well aware of who he is pal, calm down

He won Bahrain by 8.4 seconds. He absolutely dominated Imola and won by 6 seconds. Made an incredible pole lap in Monaco. And again completely dominated in Spa with a 3 purple sector pole lap which is very rare. He would be clear at the top of the championship at 167 points to 154 if it weren't for his team's blunders that got him disqualified. And he's a rookie.

I think you are really making this out to be something that it isn't. You can mention Monaco but no mention the mess of a start that he himself caused? C'mon now. If, buts, and maybes there. No one is denying that he is good, you are making him out to be some sort of god though…

Far more impressive than Antonelli, Bearman and Lawson as was just mentioned and also far more impressive than the Red bull darling F1 certainty, Lindblad.

I mean, Antonelli, Bearman and Lawson are all in F1…so that is a false comparison there. Plus, on what grounds is he more impressive? Bearman was incredible on his debut for Ferrari, Lawson equally so when he stepped in last minute. Antonelli is widely seen as a star of the future, winner of the Italian F4 championship with 13 wins, Formula Regional champ, and now in F1 and doing fairly well.

They are not flashes, and F1 teams know it.

More hyperbolic statements pal, no one is saying he is crap, least of all me. I do not see him as the second coming.