Alex Dunne has been given a grid penalty for the next F2 round after colliding with Rodin Motorsport teammate Martinius Stenshorne in the early laps of the 2026 Australian GP Feature Race when battling for P1. With the possibility of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia getting cancelled, it means the penalty could be applied for Monaco.
What happened between Alex Dunne and Martinius Stenshorne in the F2 Feature Race at Albert Park
It was a dream start for the Rodin Motorsport duo. A bad launch for Dino Beganovic meant the Norwegian led the Irishman out of turn 1 and through the opening lap. Through Friday and Saturday Stenshorne held a small but decisive pace advantage over Dunne.
However, the driver from Offaly looked fast in the opening laps. Having stayed in DRS heading on to lap 2, he initially got up the inside into turn 11. The Norwegian held it around the outside as they kept it clean through turn 12 as well. Then disaster struck.
With the Irishman having DRS on the main straight as his fellow former McLaren junior was out of position through turns 13 and 14, a pass for the lead of the race looked certain. As Dunne looked set to complete it, he moved across too early and made contact with his teammate. Both cars ended up out of the race.
The initial reaction from Alex Dunne over the radio was very clear from everyone to understand. He said: “Yeah… I can see how this year is going to go, nice job. He is never finishing in front of me ever again.”
As for Stenshorne, he was not happy either: “Mate, Alex is so stupid, he just cut straight in front of me. Amazing, amazing.”
Stewards verdict on Dunne and Stenshorne crash in 2026 F2 Feature Race at Australian GP
After the race, the stewards heard from both drivers and team personnel before reaching a conclusion. From their investigation, the Irishman was found solely responsible for the incident. As a result, Dunne received a 10-second time penalty, which will be converted into a five-place grid drop for the next Feature Race.
