Alex Dunne closing on Alpine F1 reserve deal for 2026 after Red Bull talks stall
Alex Dunne’s next move looks set to run through Enstone. The Irishman is in advanced discussions with Alpine over a 2026 reserve and development role, with sources indicating the deal is approaching the signature stage after a late-season push from the team’s executive advisor, Flavio Briatore.
Dunne, 20, has been one of Formula 2’s standout performers this year with Rodin Motorsport. He arrived in Abu Dhabi with a realistic shot at the top three — and the all-important Super Licence points that come with it — only to be wiped out in the feature race. The crash turned a decisive weekend into a missed opportunity and kept the Super Licence conversation alive a little longer than he’d like. He holds a Friday Super Licence already, but the full version still needs to be earned.
Even so, Alpine doesn’t see that as a blocker. The team has been tracking Dunne closely and is understood to be open to pushing for dispensation if needed, leaning on the FIA’s provision to consider clear, demonstrable ability — something Dunne has shown across 2025, from an early-season win in Bahrain to a string of front-running drives that put him in the thick of the title fight.
A deal with Alpine would end months of back-and-forth with Red Bull that ultimately went nowhere. Dunne had impressed in evaluations and held talks with Helmut Marko, but internal politics reportedly cooled momentum just as it looked like the move might crystallize. McLaren also had a hand in his rise — Dunne passed through its Driver Development Programme in 2024 during F3 — and his FP1 outings this season earned solid reviews up and down the pitlane.
Alpine’s pitch is straightforward: pair a 2026 F2 campaign — which Dunne has already confirmed with Rodin — with a proper F1 reserve brief, plus testing and simulator mileage. It’s a blend of track time and factory work that has quietly become the quickest route into a seat under the current regulations. And in 2026, with new rules and a grid liable to shuffle, being in the right garage at the right moment still counts for plenty.
There’s also an element of strategic positioning here. Alpine is expected to keep its options open with its race line-up across the regulation reset. Pierre Gasly is the known quantity: experienced, reliable, points-capable when the car allows. Franco Colapinto, who made his F1 debut in mid-2024 and is contracted for 2026, has had a tougher bedding-in period. If that form doesn’t lift into the new cycle, it’s understood Dunne could be considered for a step up, provided his licence situation is sorted.
The shuffle behind the scenes is just as telling. Paul Aron is set to continue in a reserve capacity, while Jack Doohan looks on course to depart the Briatore-led set-up, eyeing a Toyota-backed Super Formula test in Japan and a potential switch to the series for 2026. That move would dovetail neatly with Haas, which is deepening ties with Toyota Gazoo Racing — and would open another door for Doohan down the line.
For Dunne, the timing’s delicate but promising. Had he banked the points already, he’d likely have sat in the frame for an outright Alpine race seat discussion. That window hasn’t completely closed — 2026 is a long season and performance clauses exist — but for now the priority is signing, locking in the programme, and making his F2 title bid next year impossible to ignore.
Briatore’s presence in the negotiations is notable. The Italian has been active in Alpine’s recruitment drive and is believed to have taken a personal interest in accelerating Dunne’s path into the fold. Those close to the situation describe recent talks as “advanced,” with all parties working through final details and timing of an announcement. Don’t expect immediate confirmation — Alpine tends to play these things close — but the direction of travel is clear.
All of which leaves Dunne exactly where most sharp-edged young drivers want to be: in a 2026 F2 car capable of winning, with a factory F1 team’s backing and a runway to the grid. He’s not there yet. But if Alpine’s bet lands and the FIA paperwork falls into place, he’ll be one phone call away when the music stops next season. And in 2026, that might be the smartest place of all to stand.
