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Austria proved to be Alex Dunne's toughest Formula 2 weekend in several rounds, as a frustrating Feature Race brought an end to his impressive run of podium finishes.
It didn't look like it would turn out that way on Friday. Dunne qualified second for the Feature Race, once again putting himself firmly in the fight at the front, while a solid recovery from ninth to fourth in Saturday's Sprint Race showed both strong race pace and good tyre management despite another poor launch off the line.
Unfortunately, Sunday told a very different story.
Starting alongside pole-sitter Noel LeĂłn, Dunne endured another slow getaway, this time dropping two places before Turn 1. It was an early setback, but one he quickly recovered from. Through the pit stop cycle, the Rodin Motorsport driver fought his way into the provisional lead and briefly looked to have put himself in the perfect position to challenge for victory.
However, that proved to be the high point of his race.
A hard-fought battle with Nikola Tsolov, followed by another intense scrap with Rafael CĂąmara, appeared to take too much life out of Dunne's tyres. The Irishman was investigated after the fight with CĂąmara for allegedly forcing the Brazilian off the circuit, but the stewards decided no further action was necessary.
From there, his pace dropped away dramatically.
Unable to defend against the faster cars around him, Dunne was passed by Tsolov, Gabriele MinĂŹ, CĂąmara and eventually his Rodin teammate Martinius Stenshorne on the final lap, crossing the line seventh. Stenshorne was later handed a post-race penalty, promoting Dunne to sixth in the final classification.
The result also handed valuable points to each of the drivers around him in the championship. Tsolov converted his opportunity into victory, while MinĂŹ and CĂąmara also finished ahead, making it an expensive afternoon in the title fight.
Despite Sunday's disappointment, there were still positives to take from the weekend. Dunne once again demonstrated the pace to qualify at the front and recovered well in the Sprint Race after another difficult start. More importantly, he showed he had the speed to fight for victory in the Feature before tyre degradation ultimately unravelled his race.
Every championship contender has an off weekend, and after a remarkably consistent run of podium finishes, Austria may simply prove to be Dunne's. With Silverstone next on the calendar, Rodin Motorsport will be hoping Sunday's tyre struggles were a one-off rather than the start of a trend.
If that's the case, there's every reason to expect Dunne to be back fighting at the front next weekend.
Ciara is a Dublin native, award-winning film producer, podcaster and writer with 20 years of storytelling experience. A lifelong Leinster and Ireland rugby fan, she turned her attention to the grid after moving to Berlin and co-founding Formula Live Pulse. Now, she applies her producerâs brain to Formula 1, navigating the highs of Oscar Piastriâs rise and the unique stress of being an adopted Ferrari fan. She loves talking and talking about F1, if you give her the chance!
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