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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDerek Daly believes Alex Dunne has the ‘x-factor’ to make it in F1. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDerek Daly believes Alex Dunne has the ‘x-factor’ to make it in F1. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n
Speaking to Speedcafe, Daly said he believed Dunne could change that trajectory, adding he sees genuine promise in Dunne\u2019s ability and racecraft and expects the Alpine junior to push his way towards F1 in the coming years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, we\u2019ve had a drought,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIreland is a very small country. I think we only have three million people. It\u2019s small. We do need more.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do have a good one on the way up. Alex Dunne is really very talented.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daly said he met Dunne for the first time when the current Alpine Academy driver was just 12 years old at a driver development seminar at Mondello Park, a connection that later became more personal given his own history with Dunne\u2019s family in Irish grassroots motorsport.<\/p>\n
\u201cI raced against his granddad, Matt Dunne, in demolition derby stock cars when I was 16,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Buy tickets to the 2026 betr Darwin Triple Crown. Click here <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cSo that was a weird connection.\u201d<\/p>\n Dunne, who previously raced under McLaren\u2019s driver development program before moving to Alpine<\/a> ahead of the 2026 season, has steadily built his reputation through Formula 2, including multiple wins and podiums since stepping up from Formula 3 in 2025.<\/p>\n He also made two F1 FP1 appearances for McLaren at Austria and Italy.<\/p>\n His rise has been closely followed in Ireland, with Daly noting the growing national pride around his progress.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo years ago I did an interview with him at Mondello Park, I would say 50 percent of everybody there at the track that day were wearing McLaren papaya,\u201d Daly said.<\/p>\n \u201cLast Sunday I did another event and he was there during my book signing, and half the place now had Alpine shirts on.<\/p>\n \u201cSo there is a lot of support for him.\u201d<\/p>\n Daly believes Dunne\u2019s emergence could have a unifying impact on Irish motorsport fans if he reaches Formula 1, pointing to the level of support already building around him.<\/p>\n \u201cThe town that he comes from, I can\u2019t even pronounce it because I\u2019ve never heard of it, it\u2019s that small in the midlands of Ireland,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have a sign up \u2018home of Alex Dunne\u2019. He hasn\u2019t even made it yet, but you see the local pride in this town. But it\u2019s now transferred to national pride.<\/p>\n \u201cNational pride is huge, particularly in Formula 1. He will unite our country if he gets into Formula 1 and starts to be a front runner.<\/p>\n \u201cJust like Piastri has united Australian fans to get behind him, because they follow everything he does.<\/p>\n \u201cSport is the great unifier, and I just love to see it from a little small country like ours here.\u201d<\/p>\n Dunne\u2019s 2025 Formula 2 campaign delivered two victories and a string of strong results, and he currently sits seventh in the 2026 standings, having scored sprint podiums in both Australia and Miami as well as a feature race podium in Canada.<\/p>\n For the Monaco sprint race, Dunne qualified on the front row, before finishing the race in ninth place.<\/p>\n Daly also believes Dunne has a rare attacking instinct, comparing aspects of his racecraft to some of the best overtakers he has seen, while acknowledging the modern era of F1 may limit those opportunities<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI do think he has the X-Factor. He\u2019s the only guy I\u2019ve seen make passes in the braking zone like Daniel Ricciardo,\u201d Daly said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a big thing to say. However, there\u2019s no brake zones anymore!\u201d<\/p>\n The former F1 driver, who raced between 1978 and 1982, scoring 15 championship points across spells with teams including Williams, Tyrrell and Ensign, remains convinced Dunne has what it takes to reach the top level.<\/p>\n \u201cI do think he has the X-Factor,\u201d Daly said.<\/p>\n Ireland has produced only five drivers to enter a grand prix weekend, with just four making race starts, and Daly remains the only Irish-born driver to score points in Formula 1.<\/p>\n