After a semi-successful rookie F3 season in 2024 with MP Motorsport, Ireland’s Alexander Dunne steps up to F2 with Rodin Motorsport for 2025. He will partner with Australia’s Christian Mansell for the upcoming FIA F2 season. While speaking with media, including Pit Debrief after completing pre-season testing in Barcelona, Dunne discussed his expectations for the season and the role that McLaren has played in the progression of his career.
Dunne “really comfortable” with Rodin Motorsport
While Rodin Motorsport finished near the bottom of the teams’ championship table in 2024, Dunne believes that their finishing position was not representative of their true pace.
He highlighted the success of Zane Maloney, who despite missing the season finale in Abu Dhabi due to his commitments with Lola Yamaha ABT in Formula E, finished fourth in the drivers’ championship. He said that he would need to “wait and see” before he could make any further judgement on the team’s potential for 2025.
“We’re going to have to wait and see.”
“I think, I would say naturally, Rodin as a team have been very, very strong. I think Zane [Maloney] missed the last round due to other commitments and he still finished fourth in the championship.
“So I think generally as a team, their pace has been quite strong. Of course, they also had a rookie last year. So I think generally the finishing order in the team’s championship is probably not representative of their true pace.”
He also discussed his own experience with the team, explaining that he felt “comfortable” ever since his post-season test in Abu Dhabi. Dunne added that the team at Rodin Motorsport had significantly helped his preparation for the 2025 F2 season, noting that the car had felt “better and better” every time he tested it.
“I think starting from the post-season test in Abu Dhabi, I felt really comfortable in the team. I think generally they’ve worked really, really well with me. And I felt like the pace has been positive. And every time I’ve gotten in the car, it’s gotten better and better.”
Mansell and Dunne “pushing each other” to improve
Dunne also acknowledged the budding relationship between himself and his new teammate Mansell. He claimed that he and Mansell had developed a good working relationship within the team and were pushing each other to improve.
“So I think Christian and I are pushing each other. I think we have a pretty good way of working together within the team. And we’re pushing each other to try and make ourselves and the team better as well. So I think if we keep working in that direction, we’ll be in a good place.”
“Okay” performance despite driver inexperience
When asked whether their lack of F2 experience would affect the performance of Rodin Motorsport in the 2025 season, Dunne replied, “Difficult to say, to be honest.”
While he acknowledged that there were some challenges with having two rookie drivers in the team, he stated that so far, things seemed “okay.”
“I think, you know, naturally, of course, having two rookies is probably more difficult than having experienced drivers or at least one experienced driver. But I think, you know, so far, okay.”
He added that while testing was not truly representative of a team’s potential in the competitive season, it did allow them to get a “good idea” of how the drivers were adapting to the car.
“I would say testing probably isn’t the most relevant thing in the world, but you can still get a good idea of where you are.”
Dunne was particularly confident about his pace, which he noted had been quite strong during both the Abu Dhabi post-season and Barcelona pre-season tests. He also highlighted the similarities between the approach to F2 and F3, particularly with tyre management during race runs.
“And I think if you look at the results from Abu Dhabi and then from Barcelona, generally, I think, at least from my side, I felt like the pace has been quite strong. You know, we’ve always been there or thereabouts.”
“And I think also on the race runs as well, you know, managing tyres in F2 is somewhat similar, I would say, to F3, but there’s a couple of little things that you need to further understand that are a little bit more difficult than they were in F3.”
Dunne and Mansell adapting well to F2
Despite their relative experience, and despite the differences between F2 and F3, Dunne believes that both he and his teammate have adapted pretty quickly to their new challenge with Rodin Motorsport.
“So I think, you know, drivers at this level are generally quite quick to adapt. And I think Christian and I have adapted pretty quickly.”
Dunne noted that his teammate’s experience from the final three rounds of the 2024 season had been an asset to the team, and to his preparation for 2025.
“You know, of course, he also had the three races at the end of the year from Baku to Abu Dhabi. So he brought a little bit of extra experience for me to learn from. “
Dunne expressed that he believed that if he and Mansell continued to adapt quickly and improve, they could be competitive in both the 2025 drivers’ and teams’ championships.
“So no, I think it’s going pretty well. I think we’ve both adapted pretty quickly and we’re working in a good direction. So I think if we keep going like that, then there’s a possibility for strong results.”
McLaren “fully behind” Dunne
Dunne, a member of the McLaren Driver Development Program and the reserve and development driver for the NEOM McLaren Formula E team, also discussed the support that he received from the team. He described his partnership with McLaren as “special” and stated that the team were “fully behind him.”
“Well, I think first of all, naturally the feeling is very, very cool. I think being a part of a team like McLaren and having so many commitments also within McLaren is something that’s quite special.”
“You know, it’s nice to see that they have, you know, comfort and belief in me doing a lot of things within the team. So to know that they’re fully behind me and supporting me is really, really nice. And it’s a special feeling. It’s pretty cool, to be honest.”
Dunne in “a good place” with McLaren’s support
Dunne added that despite his association with the historic, successful team, there was no added pressure. Instead, he described McLaren as “helpful” and “very supportive” and explained that the team encouraged him “not to worry.”
“And in terms of pressure, no, not really, to be honest. I think it’s quite natural for any racing driver to be in this position, I would say. You know, I think there’s no real feeling of pressure from McLaren in particular.”
“You know, they’re very, very helpful and very supportive of me. And, you know, if I ever do feel like that, which I don’t, they always tell me, you know, not to worry and they’re fully behind me.”
Dunne added that instead of feeling pressured, he felt “calm” and claimed that he was in “a good place” due to McLaren’s efforts.
“So I think there’s no real feeling of pressure. I feel pretty calm, to be honest. I think this is probably the most relaxed I’ve felt in a long time. So, yeah, no, I’m feeling pretty good and they’ve been very helpful. So I’m in a good place.”
Dunne looking forward to working with Alunni Bravi
Dunne was also asked about his thoughts on Alessandro Alunni Bravi who succeeds Stephanie Carlin as the new head of the McLaren Driver Development Program. While Dunne admitted that he had only had two brief meetings with the Alunni Bravi, he described him as being “nice and helpful.”
“Yeah, I’ve only met him twice so far, and it was both pretty brief conversations. But, you know, so far he’s been very, very nice and helpful if I’ve needed to ask him anything at the time.”
He added that he was excited to work with Alunni Bravi in the future, as the latter had “made it clear” that he would support Dunne. Dunne also stated that he believes that Alunni Bravi’s experience and knowledge would be beneficial to his continued development as a racing driver.
“So, you know, of course, I think in the future, working with him is going to be really nice.”
“You know, he’s made it very clear that he’s in our corner and he wants to help me out in any way I can, and if I ever need anything to just reach out to him.”
“So definitely his experience and his knowledge will be beneficial to me. And yeah, I’m looking forward to working with him.”
McLaren feels like “a family environment”
Dunne’s association with McLaren has also helped him gain experience in Formula E. In January 2025, the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team announced the Irishman as their reserve and development driver. He then made his debut with the team during the rookie practice session in the Jeddah ePrix.
Dunne described his experience in Formula E as a “cool” experience and praised the welcoming attitude of the mechanics and engineers. He described the McLaren as a family and stated that everyone within the organisation was “really, really nice.”
“I think it was a cool experience. You know, I really like the mechanics, the engineers generally as a team. I really, really like everyone. You know, I felt like I’ve been welcomed in. It kind of feels like a family environment, the same as it does within the entire team of McLaren, to be honest. You know, everyone is really, really nice within McLaren.”
“So I think working with them has been very cool and having the chance to do FP0 was cool as well to experience a Formula E car.”
Dunne not sure that Formula E experience will help F2 campaign
While Dunne was pleased to have had the opportunity to experience driving a Formula E car, he does not think that it will help his 2025 F2 campaign with Rodin Motorsport due to the differences between the series and their respective cars.
“I think in terms of what I’ll bring forward to F2, probably not much, to be honest.”
“You know, Formula E is much, much different to anything outside of Formula E. You know, I think there’s nothing that really compares to that car and how you drive it.”
Despite this, Dunne viewed his Formula E experience as beneficial for his development as a driver. He explained, “As a driver, it’s good to always be learning and understanding and adapting different cars and different driving styles and things like that.”
