Two Irish drivers will be on starting grids in support races to the Australian F1 Grand Prix next month in Melbourne.
Fionn McLaughlin, the 2025 Motorsport Ireland Young Racing Driver of the year, will begin the 2026 FIA Formula 3 campaign, while fellow Irish driver Alex Dunne competes in his second season in Formula 2 at Albert Park, Melbourne.
McLaughlin, last year's British Formula 4 champion, will start his FIA Formula 3 Championship racing for the Hitech TGR as part of the Red Bull Junior Team.
On the same weekend Dunne will compete in FIA Formula 2 for a second season for Rodin Motorsport.
Dunne, from Offaly, finished fifth in the F2 standings in his first season in the championship last year, taking race wins at Bahrain and Imola.
In testing ahead of the new season in Barcelona, which was held behind closed doors, photos showed Dunne's 15 Rodin Motorsport car carrying the pink livery of the French F1 team Alpine and the logo of the team's title sponsor BWT which would suggest that Dunne will also be part of the Alpine driver academy.
It is also likely that Dunne will become a test and reserve driver for the Alpine F1 set-up.
At the end of the last season, Dunne announced his departure from the McLaren team's young driver programme, which he had been part of since 2023.
The teenage Irish driver moved to Formula 2 with the Rodin team, and he was twice involved in free practice for McLaren, setting the fourth fastest time in Austria, which made the F1 paddock sit up and take notice.
However, with no likelihood of racing in the McLaren team in the near-term, Dunne departed, with rumours swirling about a possible hook-up with the Red Bull Academy. However, that didn't materialise.
Alpine F1 have now apparently offered Dunne a route to F1, who will have the Irishman in their roster of young drivers, along with Kush Maini and Gabriele Mini in Formula 2 in 2026, although a deal has yet to be completed.
For McLaughlin, the Melbourne weekend marks another milestone in a rapid rise through the ranks of international single-seater racing.
"To start the season in Melbourne, on the same weekend as Formula 1, is incredibly exciting," said McLaughlin.
"We are approaching this as a two-year program in F3. There are many tracks I’ve never raced at before, so it will definitely be a challenge.
"The most important thing is building experience and continuing to improve every weekend. I understand that it will take time to consistently fight at the front and win races, but that’s the long-term objective — to be competing for wins and championships."
FIA Formula 3 is widely-recognised as one of the key development series feeding into Formula 2 and ultimately Formula 1, with many current F1 drivers having progressed through the championship.
The 2026 FIA Formula 2 and 3 seasons begins at Albert Park, Melbourne, from 6–8 March.
