How cold tyres cost Alex Dunne a Monaco victory in Formula 2

Alex Dunne came agonisingly close to a dream victory on the streets of Monte Carlo in Sunday's Formula 2 Feature Race — but a brutal lesson in tyre temperature management ultimately stood between the Irishman and the top step.

The Pit Stop Gamble

When the pit stop phase shook out, Dunne emerged ahead of Nikola Tsolov — the man who would go on to take a surprise Monaco Feature Race victory. For a brief moment, the 20-year-old believed fortune had swung his way.

Reality bit hard and fast. His race engineer had warned him it would be close, but what Dunne hadn't fully appreciated was just how much time cold tyres would cost him through the opening sequence of corners.

"I didn't realise how much time you actually lost on the cold tyres. Then, when I was in front of him through T2 and T3, it was like I was driving on ice," he explained. "I tried my best to keep him behind, but it was nearly impossible."

Tyre Temperature: The Deciding Factor

Getting the Pirelli rubber into the operating window around Monaco is notoriously difficult — the low-speed, low-energy nature of the circuit offers drivers no favours on out-laps. Dunne described the experience as "pretty tricky", and the data backed up the feeling. The temperature delta between his fresh tyres and Tsolov's already-warmed rubber made the fight a foregone conclusion.

Still, there was a silver lining. Once Tsolov was through, Dunne faced a different challenge: keeping the drivers on the alternative strategy behind him. Those who had stayed out on softs, waiting for a late-race charge, were queueing up.

"In the end, I'm glad that I managed to keep the soft runners who had stayed out a long time behind me," Dunne said. "If they managed to get past, my race would have been very, very difficult, and I probably would have got jumped."

Consistency Over Heroics

Last season, Dunne's campaign was defined by DNFs and inconsistency. In 2026, the picture looks markedly different: three points-scoring rounds and a newfound maturity behind the wheel. The goal, he says, is more "boring" races.

"Just to stay out of trouble. I think just keep our nose clean and just pick up the points is all I'm trying to do," he explained. "There's no point in going into every weekend trying really hard to put it on pole and win the race. If we can just be in the top five all the time, all the way until the end of the year, then that should score pretty good points."

It's a pragmatic approach — and it's working. Dunne now sits just 15 points shy of the championship lead.

The Monaco Overtaking Paradox

For all its glamour, Monaco remains a circuit defined by its inability to facilitate overtaking. Even in Formula 2, where cars are significantly smaller than their F1 counterparts, the problem persists.

"In the Sprint Race, some of us were driving like 10 seconds a lap slower than a push lap at some points, and even then, the cars behind still couldn't get past," Dunne observed. "It shows how difficult it really is to overtake here. No matter what you do, it's nearly impossible."

Dunne knows better than most the price of forcing a move in the Principality — he was involved in a major collision there in 2025. But the Irishman has come a long way since then, and his measured, points-focused approach is quietly turning him into a genuine championship contender.