Alpine Secures Rising Irish Talent Dunne for 2026 Academy Programme

Alpine has bolstered its junior driver pipeline by bringing Irish Formula 2 competitor Alex Dunne into its prestigious young driver academy. The move sees Dunne join the French manufacturer's development programme as the 2026 season approaches.

Alpine has made a significant addition to its young driver academy, confirming Irish Formula 2 prospect Alex Dunne as part of its talent development roster for the 2026 season.

The signing represents another step in Alpine's strategy to nurture promising drivers through its structured pathway programme. Dunne, competing at Formula 2 level, now becomes part of the manufacturer's carefully selected group of emerging talents.

The Frenchteam continues to invest in identifying and developing future championship-winning material, with Dunne's inclusion reflecting the competitive selection process Alpine employs when building its academy ranks. This placement provides the Irish driver with direct access to Alpine's technical expertise and resources as he continues his progression up the motorsport ladder.

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Art. D5.1.2

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Financial Regulations

Article D5.1.2

FIA Source

Excluded Costs Categories

Chapter: D

In Simple Terms

The F1 budget cap has a long list of expenses that don't count toward the spending limit. Teams can spend money on marketing, driver academies, heritage activities, power unit support, customer team assistance, FIA projects, standard parts, HR, finance, legal, sustainability, health & safety, and catering without it affecting their budget cap total.

Marketing, academy programs, and heritage activities are completely excluded from budget cap calculations
Support costs for power units, customer teams, and FIA projects don't count against the budget
Internal functions like HR, finance, legal, and health & safety spending are exempt
Sustainability initiatives and catering provision are also excluded from the cost cap

Official FIA Text

If a cost within Total Costs of the Reporting Group is Directly Attributable to Marketing Activities, Academy Program Activities, Heritage Asset Activities, Activities To Enable The Supply Of Power Units, Customer Teams Support Activities, FIA Project activities, Standard Supply Component supply, Human Resources Activities, Finance Activities, Legal Activities, Sustainability Initiative Costs, Health and Safety Costs, or catering provision, such cost shall be an Excluded Cost.

budget capexcluded costsmarketing activitiesacademy programpower unit supply

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