Below Formula One, it’s been a strong start to the season for the young drivers that make up our Alpine Academy programme, with success across a range of disciplines.

Here’s your quick round-up of the on-track action so far this year, from karting all the way up to Formula 2.

FIA Formula 2

We welcomed a new addition to the F2 ranks for the season opener in Australia. Joining Alpine Academy stablemates Gabriele Minì and Kush Maini was Irishman Alex Dunne, and all three drivers were eager to get their seasons underway after the winter break.

Alex’s first event in Alpine colours started strongly, after he qualified his Rodin-run machine third on the grid. That meant he started eighth for the reverse-grid Sprint race, and he made a number of clean overtakes after a Safety Car restart to claim third place — scoring a podium on debut.

Unfortunately, Gabriele’s weekend was compromised by an engine problem in practice, which continued into qualifying. Starting 21st for the Sprint race, he expertly came through the field for a P6 finish. Kush was running as high as third in the Sprint race, but a brake issue meant he dropped outside the top ten at the flag. A difficult Feature race for all three meant Gabriele scored the best result, finishing eighth.

F1 Academy

The opening round of the all-female F1 Academy took place in Shanghai, with Dutch racer Nina Gademan once again flying the flag for Alpine in the series. After technical issues in pre-season testing, it was important for Nina to maximise track time in the opening practice.

In her first qualifying run, Nina was P4, but traffic on her second run dropped her to eighth by the end of the session, which put her on pole position for the reverse-grid race. It was a measured and controlled performance in the opening 13-lapper, as she took the lead and managed a Safety Car restart to claim a fully deserved victory. Nina’s fourth place in race two leaves her third overall in the standings to cap off an excellent weekend.

Eurocup 3 & Euro X30 karting

The final round of the Eurocup 3 Winter Series took place at Motorland Aragón, where Alpine’s Keanu Al Azhari scored three podiums to claim the Winter Series crown. In total, he secured two wins and seven podiums from the nine races, demonstrating remarkable consistency and speed throughout the series. It was the perfect start to the year before the main Eurocup 3 series gets underway.

In the opening round of the Euro IAME X30 karting championship in Zuera, northern Spain, there was a fantastic photo finish in the Junior class final as 14-year-old Sukhmani Khera narrowly missed out by just 0.05s at the line. After starting the final in third, she drove brilliantly to chase down the leader on the final lap. It was an excellent podium to start her second season of X30 Junior karting.