Alex Dunne Tops Morning IndyCar Test as 2027 Move Takes Shape
Alex Dunne set the fastest time in a morning IndyCar test session in Alabama on Monday, as he considers a move to the United States for 2027. The 20-year-old Alpine junior drove for Dale Coyne Racing at Barber Motorsports Park, according to the BBC.
IndyCar is the top open-wheel series in North America. Open-wheel means the wheels sit outside the bodywork, as they do in Formula 1, and the cars race on both road courses and ovals. Drivers who test well can be signed for full seasons, so a single day in a car can carry real weight.
Conor Daly was also in the session. American teenager Nikita Johnson tested alongside Dunne for the same team. Dale Coyne Racing has not yet announced its driver line-up for 2027.
Dunne's test is taking place while he is in a close fight for the Formula 2 title. Formula 2 is the feeder category one step below Formula 1, and all teams run identical cars. He is 18 points behind the leader, Rafael Camara, with two rounds left, in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. This is his second Formula 2 season, and he has one win and nine podiums so far.
Dunne has said his goal will always be Formula 1. He called IndyCar the next best option, and the one he would most like to do. He has already had a taste of the top level. McLaren announced he would take part in Free Practice 1, the first practice session of a weekend, at the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix. He also carried out a test with the team alongside Franco Colapinto, according to PlanetF1. Before that, he was announced as a reserve and development driver for the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team for the 2024/25 season. Formula E is the electric single-seater championship.
There is a British and Irish thread to the American picture too. Britain's Louis Foster will drive for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for the full 2027 IndyCar season. Adam Carroll, from Portadown in Northern Ireland, is the last driver from the island of Ireland to race in IndyCar. He competed in two races in 2010.
Dunne's next move is not settled. For now, the test gives him a fast day on the record in a new series, and a Formula 2 title chase that runs to Abu Dhabi.
