You wait over two decades for an Irish driver to circle the orbit of the Formula One circus and then like buses, two arrive almost at once.
Over the last two years, it's been Alex Dunne who has flown the tricolour in the feeder series that lead towards the pinnacle of single-seater racing.
The Offaly man got to FIA Formula 3 in 2024 and then made an even bigger splash when he was promoted to Formula 2 last year.
Two feature race wins followed in Bahrain and Imola, while the 20-year-old also took to the track in a pair of F1 free practice sessions for McLaren.
He's since switched to the colours of the Alpine academy and he'll be back in F2 again, starting this weekend at the Australian Grand Prix as he looks to fuel his dream of getting to F1 before long.
But he won't be the only Irish driver aiming to lay down a marker around the Melbourne circuit.
This weekend is a momentous one for Derry teenager Fionn McLaughlin. The Red Bull junior will be making his F3 debut, racing for the Hitech team.
And after all the build-up since October's announcement that he would be racing in the series, he's been relishing getting straight down to business since landing Down Under a couple of days ago.
"More stuff has been going on definitely and I enjoy it," McLaughlin told RTÉ Sport on Thursday evening Melbourne time after returning from the track as he builds towards qualifying on Friday, a sprint on Saturday and the feature race on Sunday.
"It's where I want to be and my goal is to be in F1. The chaos has not been too bad at the minute. Obviously, it gets worse during the season and I'm very excited to get out of my comfort zone and see how well I can do.
"I'm just here to win and for sure, in the future, I just want to be one of the best drivers in the world and that's what I'm working towards."
While the 18-year-old might be a rookie in F3 terms, he's been behind the wheel almost even before he could walk.
It's in the blood. His father participated in motorcross and go-karting and before long, McLaughlin caught the racing bug.
"I started at the age of three actually, quite young, testing, just driving around the house in my go-kart," he said.
"You wouldn't really count it but I was in the go-kart from a young age and I ended up just doing good in Ireland, moving up in the ladder, went to the UK and Europe.
"It kept getting bigger and bigger. The more you win, the more you seem to move up the ladder and I just kept doing well and I was lucky enough that my family supported me and helped me throughout it."
He's always felt a natural aptitude for the track, although he does emphasise the amount of work that goes into honing his craft.
"It's like a computer," is how he describes it.
"You log yourself all the stuff you've done in the past, it's like it's logged into your system and everything's natural.
"It's not just based on talent. You have to work very hard and there's so many things now that you need to do to be at the front."
In 2023, McLaughlin won a Champions of the Future Academy Program race in Abu Dhabi. Then the following August, he was picked up by the prestigious Red Bull junior team which has paved the way into F1 for multiple world champions like Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel, as well as the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly and Isack Hadjar.
"For sure that really helped us get the step into F4," he said, adding that the simulator and gym work that he is able to do at Red Bull's factory at Milton Keynes has been invaluable in his development. Additionally, to get into F1 itself, being part of a junior programme is almost a necessity these days.
McLaughlin made further strides in his switch from karting to cars last year by winning the British F4 Championship with aplomb, with five race wins along the way.
But the bigger step will be what's to come as he goes from F4 to F3.
"Jumping from F4 to F3 was the bigger one, it felt like," McLaughlin explained.
"It was even bigger than going from go-karts to a car. I feel now it's very aerodynamic in the F3 - the F4 has barely any. It's a lot harder to hit the brake pedal and the grip is a lot stronger as well. So there were a lot of things I had to get used to."
A lot of the circuits will be new to him. The F3 season runs across ten grand prix - as a support series to F1 and F2 - with McLaughlin only having real-life experience of Silverstone and Barcelona.
That's where the simulator work will be vital. But either way he is relishing the unknown and the chance to put tyre to track, starting in Melbourne.
"I'd say this is probably the special one. The only one not in Europe and it's so far away, so probably Melbourne. It's going to be a special one," he said.
"And then a street circuit like Monaco; Spa I've never been (to). I just think to go up Eau Rouge for the first time will be pretty insane. The whole calendar I'm excited for."
Something even more exciting for the Magherafelt man is the opportunity to represent Ireland in the paddock, a duty he will share with Dunne.
The two did briefly cross paths during their early karting careers back home in Ireland, although not for long given McLaughlin is a couple of years his fellow Irishman's junior. But they have exchanged pleasanteries since bumping into each other in Melbourne.
"It's obviously nice to see a fellow Irishman and a person representing our flag. It's quite special and I'm supporting him. It's someone to look up to as well, you can learn stuff from him," said McLaughlin.
"I'm definitely going to try and follow the footsteps and try and prove I can be my own self. Obviously there's two of us but it'll be about how well I can do as well. He's in his own path and I'm in my own path and we're both doing good in representing our country."
The opportunity to show that Irish talent can mix it in the upper echelons of single-seater racing is also not lost on the Derry native.
"It's amazing. We haven't had many (at this level) but for sure we're showing it can be done," he said.
"Just because we're a small country doesn't mean we can't do the same as anyone else. It's all about how hard you work and how much you can sacrifice.
"To be representing Ireland, I'm so proud of it because there's not many of us in this single-seater world. In the rallying world we're doing well, and in other sports like golf and stuff.
"So for sure, we're expanding as a country and it's nice to see."
Watch the full interview with Fionn McLaughlin above via YouTube.
