Alex Dunne Disqualified from F2 Austrian Grand Prix

Alex Dunne finished second in the Austrian Grand Prix feature race on Sunday but was later disqualified as his Formula 2 title rival Richard Verschoor claimed victory. Dunne came into Sunday's race with a narrow one-point lead in the F2 title race after finishing sixth in Saturday's attritional sprint race at the Red Bull Ring. The 19-year-old, who drivers for the Rodin team, started Sunday's race from seventh on the grid but climbed up the order to seal a second place finish. Dutch driver Verschoor, who started third, won the race and as a result moves up to 114 points at the top of the F2 drivers' standings, 24 clear of Dunne.

The drama came in the aftermath as Formula 2 issued a statement revealing the DQ over an issue with dimensions on Dunne's car. It read: \"After the race, Car 17 was referred to the Stewards by the technical delegate for an alleged breach of the FIA Formula 2 Technical Regulations, specifically excessive front plank wear, with a maximum thickness of 3.37mm and 3.27mm at the periphery of two of the designated holes. The stewards heard from the driver and team representative, and it was determined that there was no explanation as to why the plank fell below the minimum required thickness of 4mm, constituting a breach of Article 3.2.2 of the FIA Formula 2 Technical Regulations. As a result of the disqualification, all cars that finished behind Dunne in the feature race move up one position each.

It was a busy weekend for Dunne, who became the first Irishman to feature in a Formula One grand prix weekend for 22 years when he took part in first practice on Friday. The McLaren development driver impressed on the day, setting the fourth fastest time overall, whilst sitting in for Lando Norris, who is currently second in the F1 drivers' championship. Dunne will next turn his attentions to F2's British Grand Prix next weekend, the eighth round of 14 in the 2025 calendar.