ALEX HAS BEEN THERE AND DUNNE THAT
British Formula 4
In the eight years there has been an FIA Formula 4 series in Britain, the title battle has always gone down to the final round. And that statistic just about remains the case after the first season of the new Tatuus/ Abarth/Motorsport UK era of the championship, despite a truly dominant display by Alex Dunne.
From the moment he blew away the opposition with two wins and a second place (up from ninth on the partially-reversed grid) at the Donington Park season opener, it already seemed like a matter of just when the Hitech GP driver would seal the honours. Had he not had a few messy races where he lost his cool (such as at Brands Hatch in
May and Knockhill) or had engine troubles at Croft, he would already have been confirmed as champion prior to the Brands finale. Instead, Carlin rival Oliver Gray would have needed the most remarkable weekend imaginable to deny Dunne.
Of the Irishman’s record-breaking 11 wins (achieved from three fewer races than before as he skipped Brands to race at Monza), one in particular stands out. “I would say race three at Snetterton was probably the one for me,” says Dunne. “That was the only race this year I managed to win by 10 seconds and I had the fastest lap by seven tenths as well. That was a pretty special race and that weekend was purely dominance.”
In reality, much of the season was purely dominance. Williams F1 junior Gray racked up the podiums, but only took two wins all year, while the next best after Dunne was fifth-placed Joseph Loake
(JHR Developments) on four. Eleven drivers were victorious in total but none could be consistently at the front like Dunne.