18-year-old Irishman Alex Dunne apologised to his team after a disappointing end to a weekend where he seemed to take another huge stride in his young career with an outstanding showing at the famous Macau Grand Prix this weekend. An early crash meant Dunne didn't finish the race - though he did start in second position.
The iconic Formula 3 race has been a staple of the motorsport calendar for decades, and is widely seen as a major step-off point for young talent hoping to make it to Formula One. Previous winners include the hefty names of Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, showing just how prestigious a calibre of race it is.
Ralph Firman - the last driver to race under an Irish flag in F1 - and Martin Donnelly of Northern Ireland are also among the previous winners of the F3 "World Cup" at Macau.
The track at Macau is an extraordinary challenge, with its 6.12km layout comprising some of the fastest and narrowest corners on any street circuit in the world, and the danger that comes with the layout makes it a fearsome prospect.
Earlier this month, Hitech - who finished fifth in the F3 championship this season - confirmed that Alex Dunne would complete their three-car lineup in Macau. Dunne had his first chance to test an F3 car at last month's end-of-season test at Imola. His performance, ending up in P1 by over a second in the wet session, raised more than a few eyebrows.
For Dunne, this weekend was an extraordinary challenge for his very first race weekend experience in a Formula 3 car, with the eyes of the motorsport world on him at one of the globe's most challenging tracks - and his performances were utterly sensational, given the circumstances, backing up his hype among race fans and pundits in Europe.
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Alex Dunne takes huge step with outstanding showing at prestigious Macau Grand Prix
The signs were positive early in the weekend that Alex Dunne could be about to turn in something special in Macau.
The format in Macau sees two standard qualifying sessions combine to set the grid for a 10-lap qualification race on Saturday, which in turn sets the grid for a 15-lap full race on Sunday.
Dunne was ecstatic to find himself starting P6 for the qualifying race on Saturday, and things were to get even better when he ultimately finished in P2 to earn a front-row spot alongside teammate and pole sitter Luke Browning of England.
That result could have been even better, with Dunne pulling alongside Browning to try a move for the lead on lap five of the qualifying race, before ultimately settling for second place and a brilliant starting spot on the grid.
However, Dunne's dreams for a podium finish were cut short early after a crash early in the race. Jake Browning ended up winning the race.
In a post to instagram after the race, Dunne described the weekend as 'bittersweet'.
Bittersweet ending, happy with the pace we showed all weekend and the results we had, but today was the one that counts, sorry to the team for my mistake.
Still thankful to have been given the opportunity to race around the streets of Macau, definitely the most enjoyable experience I’ve had in my career, I’ll definitely be back 👊🏻
Thank you to @hitechgp for the hard work all weekend and for giving me a great car 👊🏻
That’s my 2023 season coming to an end, it’s been a year of ups and downs but learned a lot nevertheless, thank you to everyone involved and to everyone who’s helped me to get to where I am today, looking forward to 2024 👀
Despite the disappointing race on Sunday, Dunne's performance in the Macau Grand Prix this weekend has undoubtedly backed up his position as one of Europe's leading young drivers and a remarkable bright prospect for the future.
Dunne made his bow in car racing in 2021 at the age of just 15, and an impressive inaugural season saw him earn a place in the British F4 championship last year - a championship he would ultimately win while juggling a dual campaign in Italian F4 (where he finished runner-up).
2023 saw him narrowly miss out on the GB3 championship in the UK, finishing second in the standings behind Brit Callum Voisin.
Hopes will be high that Alex Dunne has done enough this weekend in Macau, along with his stunning F4 performances of the past three years and his test, to put himself in the thoughts of teams in the Formula 3 Championship for a 2024 seat. His best shot will likely be with the Hitech team he competed for in the Macau GP, with the three slots in their lineup yet to be confirmed.
The future is bright for Ireland's newest racing star.
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